Animals at Mission San Diego de Alcalá: Domestic and Wild

Livestock and Wildlife of California's First Mission

Founded 1769, Mission San Diego de Alcalá hosted a mix of introduced livestock and native fauna:

Domesticated Animals (Brought by Spanish)

• Horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats
• Chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys

Provided meat, milk, wool, leather, tallow, labor (oxen), and trade goods.

Wild Animals (Native to Region)

• Large mammals: Deer, pronghorn, elk (historically), mountain lion, bear (grizzly extirpated).
• Small game: Rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, skunks.
• Predators: Foxes, coyotes, bobcats.

Hunted for food, hides; some (grizzly) dangerous to neophytes and livestock.

Ecological Impact

Introduced grazers transformed native grasslands; hunting reduced native herbivores; pigs rooted wetlands. The mission was an ecological pivot point.