Last week three zebras — a buck, a mare and a yearling — escaped from Hearst Ranch and wandered over to nearby Cambria. On Jan. 5, when two of the three turned up on David Fiscalini's cattle ranch, he raised his shotgun and killed them. A neighbouring rancher shot the third zebra. Fiscalini said that the two zebras that got onto his property had spooked his horses.
The incident has pitted local preservationists against those who say ranchers have the right to defend their livestock. Fanning the controversy were reports of Fiscalini's actions the day after the shooting, when he called a local taxidermist out to the ranch and said he needed one of the zebras skinned and its hide tanned. "He wants to make a rug," said Rosemary Anderson, the taxidermist's wife. "You can't believe the controversy."
When Anderson's husband, Don, got to the ranch, Fiscalini told him about the third zebra, and said the neighbour that shot that one wanted a rug too, Rosemary Anderson said. She called Fiscalini's actions "a wanton waste" but said, "This rancher felt that he was taking care of his property and getting rid of a predator." Eleanor Seavey, who owns Her Castle, a Cambria bed and breakfast, said she and her friends were disturbed by news of the killings: "They're such beautiful animals — why would anyone kill them?" The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department says the shooting does not appear to be a crime.
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6 comments:
I seriously doubt that zebras would harm his horses. They are herd animals just like horses, not predators. I suspect they either saw a chance to 'go on safari' locally or after wanting to tan the hides I suspect they just wanted the skins. There has to be some statute about wanton killing of animals.
I breed donkeys and if another donkey, horse etc go in with them I would simply herd
it out.
Agreed!
Steve, actually, zebras are extremely dangerous to horses, especially if there's a mare in heat. They're extremely territorial as well, and if you have experience around equines, you know how violent a territorial dispute can get.
Even zoos treat them as dangerous animals, both to humans and other animals, due to their tendency to lash out without apparent cause. They're just mean.
There's a ton of conjecture about the actual circumstances at Fiscalini's ranch (there's a history of bad blood between him and the Hearst corporation and that can't be ignored), but the bottom line is that he was within his rights, at least legally, to kill the animals if they presented any kind of threat, or even an impending threat, to his stock. Was it "morally" right or wrong? I can't say. I wasn't there. But I know what I'd do if someone's free-ranging exotics or feral animals posed a threat to my horses.
I think too much has been made, intentionally, about the fact that he decided to get the skins tanned. Personally, I'd probably have done the same thing, rather than just leaving them to rot or burying them. That seems to only add waste to a wasteful situation.
Only problem is, they're not his skins to tan.
He should at least be charged with theft.
They were on his property and he shot them in "defense" of his animals.
Sounds like they're his hides now.
Phillip, I must admit I don't know much about zebras. Horses, a little but I know donkeys very well. I've bred them for years and have 4 at present. I got curious about zebras and looked around. Some did mention their nasty temperament. One expert said they were closer in attitude to donkeys then horses.
I've see male donkeys fight. Not pretty. I broke one fight up once, a neighbors jack (a mean one) jumped a wall into one of my fields and attacked my jack. Mine is real peaceful and was losing but I was able to get the rogue jack out of the field.
I don't think I'll do that again. I could of been killed.
I should sell my jack and get a male zebra to breed with my mare donkeys. He can make little zonkeys.
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