Mule deer were brought to Santa Catalina Island in the 1930s for game hunting. Per the plan conceived by the Catalina Island Conservancy, professional hunters will shoot the island’s non-native mule deer on the ground over four to five years. A mule deer doe licks its fawn at a feral cat feeding station behind the Descanso Beach Club in Catalina Island’s Avalon in 2023. “So this is really important to us.”AdvertisementA Catalina Island fox stares at a mule deer fawn. “The thing that we have to do before any of this is feasible at scale is to remove the mule deer,” she said.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 04, 2026 18:28 UTC