i am quite certain a cheetah or gorilla could live just as easilly in much of the habitat of california as a ferret could and when i discovered this info on the department of fish and game website i also looked at the individual county regulation and in california there were only 5 counties that were listed to have their own rules and the majority of them were all listed a simply not within city limits the only exception to that was San Diego county

It is unlawful to own, possess or maintain any venomous reptile. It is unlawful for any person to own, possess or maintain any other wild animal unless he/she complies with all federal, state and local laws, regulations and permit requirements affecting such animals.

and they say nothing about in city limits either lol