TIL that “acclimation societies” used to intentionally introduce non-native species into new environments. House sparrows and starlings were introduced to the US this way. There are now 200 million starlings in North America, and they are listed as one of the 100 worst invasive species.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Acclimatization_Society

https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/15mecjj/til_that_acclimation_societies_used_to/