In 1957, two Corsican mouflons — a type of wild sheep — were released from the Vincennes Zoo in Paris onto the small, rocky island of Haute in the Kerguelen Islands. This island, just 6.5 km² in size — about six times the area of the Tuileries Garden in Paris — was also home to three Swedish reindeer introduced around the same time. A previous attempt to introduce mouflons to another island in 1956 had failed, as the two animals released on the island of Blakeney died shortly after. Haute, however, was not an ideal environment for the mouflons. The island is rocky, with only 30% of its surface covered in sparse grass. To help the mouflons survive, forage grasses were introduced in 1972. Over the next two decades, the mouflon population exploded. Starting with just two animals in 1957, their numbers grew to around 700 by 1977, despite the absence of natural predators. This rapid growth was remarkable, especially considering the small size of the island and the limited resources. Researchers were surprised by the genetic diversity found in the herd, which had originated from just two individuals. However, by the late 2000s, the population was seen as a threat to the island’s rare native vegetation. In 2009, the French government initiated a program to eradicate the mouflons to protect the local ecosystem. The culling was not driven by scientific curiosity but by the desire to allow local residents to hunt the animals. The mouflon population peaked in the 1970s, with over 100 animals per square kilometer — a density much higher than many pastures on the French mainland. However, the reindeer introduced at the same time did not survive. By the early 1980s, they had completely disappeared from the island, likely due to competition for food and space with the growing mouflon population. In 2007, a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B examined the genetic diversity of the mouflon herd, which had grown from just two individuals. The researchers were surprised by the level of genetic variation they found, despite the small founding population. The eradication of the mouflons took place between 2009 and 2012. By 2012, the last four animals were culled, officially ending the population. Although a report suggested a male might have survived the winter of 2012, the species is now considered extinct on the island. The highest point on Haute, a 321-meter peak, is still known as the Table of the Mouflons. The mouflons were not the only non-native species introduced to the Kerguelen Islands. Swedish reindeer, now numbering around 2,000, and cats introduced in the 1950s still remain. Among the various introduced mammals, only the mouflons and sheep have been successfully eradicated.