Implications and Management of Feral Mammals in California

"Feral" is defined. For each of the principal species of feral mammals in California we note the broad ecological implications they have on the environment and the potential or actual management approaches being followed. The main emphasis of this paper, and all of the slides shown, was on how wild horses and burros, two controversial feral species, are managed in California and in other western states. The feral pig is about to become the number one big game animal in California, and mustrats (Ondatra zibethica (L.)), which were introduced or escaped into the Sacramento Valley—-hence locally feral--are the state's number one furbearer. Except for these species, the other feral mammals are, for the most part, much less desirable.