Zebra Spotted In Santa Ynez Mountains Near Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, CA — Zebra sightings appear to be on the rise near Santa Barbara.

Yes, you read that correctly.

A photo snapped by Marcos Chavez showed a zebra blocking traffic on West Camino Cielo in the mountains above Santa Barbara. He told Noozhawk he was biking on the road around 2 p.m. Sunday when he encountered the animal and a bunch of stopped cars. Stunned onlookers snapped photos through sunroofs and out their car windows.

After snapping a photo of his own, Chavez tried to pedal away. That's when he said the zebra tried to follow.

"I jumped on my bike and started pedaling super fast," Chavez told the news outlet. "He took a three steps, but then the zebra slipped and fell."

A spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office told Patch on Tuesday they haven’t heard about any calls for zebra services and that sightings wouldn't appear to be a law enforcement issue.

While zebra sightings are uncommon in the area, they're not unheard of.

At least two other passersby photographed a similar-looking zebra munching on grass near Santa Barbara. One photo was posted Saturday and the other was posted May 5.

Zebra sightings in the area date to at least 2013, when a user posted on Reddit that he saw a zebra on the side of the road while driving on West Camino Cielo.

And in 2015, a user posted a photo of what appeared to be the same zebra walking across West Camino Cielo Road.

"I've heard about this zebra, but this is the first time I've actually seen it," the user posted. "Apparently his name is Maynard. It was in the company of a couple of Llamas. Pretty cool, but these creatures shouldn't be wandering on the road like this. They might get hurt!"

Last year, a photo was posted on Reddit appearing to show the same zebra that Chavez saw. In that photo, the zebra again fills up on wild grass. That user also identified the zebra as Maynard.

Indeed, an Airbnb listing indicated people can dine and hike in the mountains above Santa Barbara with a domesticated zebra named, you guessed it, Maynard. Maynard was described as free-roaming and domesticated.

Maynard is, apparently, popular with locals, with many neighbors getting a good chuckle over zebra sightings.

So if you're ever in the Santa Ynez mountains and come across a zebra, don't be surprised to hear, "Oh yeah, that’s Maynard!”