# Hearst Castle Zebras Shot **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 14, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566 "2011-01-14T04:12:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/1 "2011-01-14T04:12:41Z")
> **[Archive blogs](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/)** > > Los Angeles Times blogs that were published between 2006 and 2013. Do you think the neighbors were justified when they shot the zebras that were bothering their livestock? Should they be allowed to make the dead zebras into rugs? Aren’t the zebras still property of the Hearst family? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/2 "2011-01-14T04:19:59Z")
From the article. > [@](#): > > “It breaks my heart to see it killed, because it’s wanton waste,” she said. “It’s very sad that it wasn’t handled in a different manner, but this rancher felt that was he taking care of his property and getting rid of a predator.” What kind of moron doesn’t know what a zebra is or thinks it’s a predator?:mad: ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/3 "2011-01-14T04:35:24Z")
I just saw one on Dec. 26, boxing day. And they belong to the Hearst Corp. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/4 "2011-01-14T04:35:40Z")
The zebras spooked his horses, so he short them. If I shot every creature that ever spooked any of my horses, there’d be a lot of dead bodies lying around the ranch. I think the corpses of the dead zebras should not be given to the shooters, but that the shooters should be made to pay the fees to have them disposed of. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/5 "2011-01-14T07:01:29Z")
These links are date limited [Local Story](http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2011/01/11/1439582/three-zebras-shot-and-killed-after.html) An opinion is offered via this [link](http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=134BEEAE78AE6810&p_docnum=1) Bottom line: You can shoot the animals, but you can’t keep the skins. Sucks, but the Hearst Ranch isn’t exactly smelling roses, either. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/6 "2011-01-14T07:45:09Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > From the article. > What kind of moron doesn’t know what a zebra is or thinks it’s a predator?:mad: Well, you see all those videos of zebras hunting lions…no, wait, you don’t. How the hell _does_ someone decide a zebra is a predator? Even if you didn’t know what they were, you should notice they’re the same shape as your horses, which implies that they’re grazers, not predators. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/7 "2011-01-14T08:24:12Z")
They’re African. Of course they’re predators. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/8 "2011-01-14T08:51:37Z")
**bastards!** ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/9 "2011-01-14T13:05:50Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > **bastards!** It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/10 "2011-01-14T15:06:29Z")
I have a hard time believing it’s legal. Would it be legal to kill the rancher’s stock if it got through _his_ fence? I’m guessing that the rancher’s horses would be considered valuable property and some kind of crime would be charged; certainly around here they’ve aggressively prosecuted people who’ve shot cattle or horses on someone’s farm (and said prosecution was not for trespassing or a firearms violation, so I assume it was germane to the killing of the animals.) This seems like a simple black & white issue. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/11 "2011-01-14T15:14:50Z")
If the Hearst mansion (or whoever owns it) wants to keep zebras it’s their responsibility to keep the animals confined. As to whether the ranchers were justified in killing the zebras… well, I have mixed feelings. Zebras aren’t predators but they ARE aggressive and wild animals. Approaching one could be hazardous, particularly one accustomed enough to humans to not fear them. The horses are highly unlikely to accept the zebra and vice versa (horses are typically suspicious of strange equines, even of their own species), so there’s a real possibility of fights breaking out between the animals and parties on either side getting seriously hurt. Since a zebra is unlikely to be a free wild animal that just wandered into the neighborhood the best course probably would have been to notify the authorities that this animal obviously had escaped from somewhere, please send someone to get it. On the other hand, rural people do tend to take care of things themselves, and if a rancher had concerns about his presumably valuable stock being injured I can see the logic in shooting the intruder. And then, if the rancher is frugal, the logic behind wanting to use the hide. I wonder if there are zebra steaks in the freezer? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/12 "2011-01-14T15:17:51Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If the Hearst mansion (or whoever owns it) wants to keep zebras it’s their responsibility to keep the animals confined. But the same logic would apply to ranchers, and I don’t think it has been. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/13 "2011-01-14T15:22:37Z")
I love the anthropomorphizing in the article: “These zebras have no respect for fences.” Damned punks! Stop ‘em now before they rapin’ everybody out there. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/14 "2011-01-14T15:29:03Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > But the same logic would apply to ranchers, and I don’t think it has been. Even if it hasn’t been applied I personally would argue it should - ranchers should be held responsible for their animals and keep them from wandering onto other peoples’ property. Of course, I’m not a rancher, and not from California. They’d probably dismiss me as one of those damn Eastern city folk idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/15 "2011-01-14T15:44:10Z")
Ranchers traditionally operated a lot like feudal lords; their interests, collectively if not individually, were a kind of common law. I’m sure there’s a lot of holdover from this in the west - that there are ranchers and “others,” whose property (and livestock if any) don’t get equal treatment. At least not until big money lawyer-types step in. I guarantee if ole W.R. were still in residence, nobody would shoot or even molest a zebra. He was bigger than any rancher. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/16 "2011-01-14T16:30:35Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > But the same logic would apply to ranchers, and I don’t think it has been. Actually, I believe the same situation has happened to ranchers and the same rules apply. I seem to recall a story (a year or so ago) about buffalo wandering off one ranch (I think it was Ted Turner’s ranch in Montana) and into another and the rancher promptly shot them all. He said the other ranch had been negligent and allowed its buffalo to escape all the time and he got sick of it and shot them all. End of story. I’m sure there’s a law regarding this, but I have no idea what it is. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/17 "2011-01-14T17:48:12Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > This seems like a simple black & white issue. I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/18 "2011-01-14T18:15:35Z")
Actually the horses know that ‘Once you go stripe, you don’t have a gripe.’ ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/19 "2011-01-14T18:51:24Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Actually, I believe the same situation has happened to ranchers and the same rules apply. I seem to recall a story (a year or so ago) about buffalo wandering off one ranch (I think it was Ted Turner’s ranch in Montana) and into another and the rancher promptly shot them all. He said the other ranch had been negligent and allowed its buffalo to escape all the time and he got sick of it and shot them all. End of story. > > I’m sure there’s a law regarding this, but I have no idea what it is. Well, in [this case](http://www.publiclandsranching.org/htmlres/openrange_press3.htm) the law was applied in the way I am complaining about – a cow wandered onto someone’s property, he shot it, and was charged with a felony. > [@](#): > > SNOWFLAKE, Ariz. - Kent Knudson had been fed up with cows wandering onto his property for years. So when he came home one afternoon and found a herd in his back yard, he promptly got his .22-caliber rifle and fired. > > A red-and-white pregnant cow fell to the ground kicking, and died by Knudson’s shed. > > Problem was, Knudson violated open-range law, a remnant of the Old West. And he learned the hard way that cows still rule the range: He was handcuffed and jailed, charged with a felony. > > …\… > > Knudson’s story > > The way Knudson tells it, he didn’t really mean to kill the cow. But he does admit aiming at the herd on Jan. 15 after the animals trampled his septic line and ate his plants and trees. He said he was just protecting himself and his 77-year-old mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. > > Knudson, a freelance photographer, has a fence to keep cattle out, but had forgotten to close his gate when he rushed his mother to the hospital three days before because she had a mild stroke. > > Under open-range law, cattle can roam and graze at will. It is up to the property owner to fence out cattle if that is his wish; the owner of the cattle has no obligation to restrain his cows. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566/20 "2011-01-14T19:55:05Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Actually the horses know that ‘Once you go stripe, you don’t have a gripe.’ 340 days from now, the rancher’s mares will be dropping [these](http://aristotle.net/~swarmack/hodgraph/quagga.GIF) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hearst-castle-zebras-shot/567566.md?page=2)