The State - News from July 1, 1985

A zebra breeder has filed a multimillion-dollar suit, saying he was not allowed to remove his herd, or their babies, from the Hearst Castle ranch at San Simeon as promised. Earl Tatum, who said he has been breeding exotic animals for 26 years, is seeking $5.5 million in damages in the breach of contract action filed in San Luis Obispo Superior Court. Tatum said the contract provided for him to loan one male zebra and six female zebras for display on the castle grounds. He said the promise that he could retrieve the original animals and any offspring was broken in 1983, when the herd numbered more than 150. Named in the suit are the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which operates the state-owned castle halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the Hearst Corp., which owns the land surrounding the castle.