Three zebras that escaped from the Hearst Ranch last week were shot and killed by Cambria-area ranchers who said the exotic animals were threatening the safety of their livestock.

David Fiscalini, the owner of the Green Valley Cattle Co. on Highway 46, said two of the zebras were shot after they had gotten into the horse pasture behind his house. The third was shot by a neighbor after it got into a herd of cows.

Fiscalini said he had no choice but to shoot the zebras because they were spooking his seven ranch horses, chasing them and putting them at risk of getting injured. He described the event as an ordeal and said he took no pleasure in killing the zebras.

It’s branding time on the ranch, and Fiscalini said replacing a horse that might have been injured by a run-in with the zebras would have cost him tens of thousands of dollars.

“These zebras have no respect for fences,” he said. “They tear fences down and go right through them.”

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