A fisher was recently spotted on surveillance cameras at Cleveland Metroparks in Ohio, marking the first appearance of this medium-sized creature in over a century within the United States. Cleveland Metroparks shared the footage on social media, expressing great excitement over the discovery. These animals are native to North American forests and had disappeared from Ohio in the mid-1800s. They are unique to Canada and the United States.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife confirmed that this recent sighting in Cleveland Metroparks is the first record of the species in Cuyahoga County since its disappearance in the 1800s. Designated as a ‘Species of Special Interest’ by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the fisher was believed to have been wiped out in Ohio by the mid-1800s due to uncontrolled hunting and habitat loss.
The return of fishers and other previously extirpated species like otters, bobcats, and trumpeter swans in Cleveland Metroparks is attributed to conservation efforts, highlighting the significance of maintaining healthy forests, wetlands, water bodies, and natural areas in the region. Despite their nickname “fisher cats,” these creatures are not felines but members of the weasel family.
According to Scenic Hudson, fishers are solitary animals and contrary to their name, they rarely consume fish. Their diet includes fruits, reptiles, amphibians, birds, bird eggs, mushrooms, squirrels, and other small mammals.