A secretive, hard-to-spot weasel-like animal, the fisher, has made a noticeable return to Pennsylvania after being deemed extinct in the state.
A trail camera in Westmoreland County captured a fisher over the summer. The camera operator, PixCams, recently confirmed the rare sighting "wasn't a fluke," stating that the critter was indeed a fisher, according to CBS News.
Historical data suggests fisher populations declined in the early stages of colonization and went extinct from Pennsylvania after rigorous deforestation in the 19th century. The exact exterminated date of fishers in Pennsylvania is unknown due to their secretive nature, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
From 1994 to 1998, the Game Commission reintroduced around 200 fishers to six sites in northern Pennsylvania. Fishers continue to create comfy homes in Pennsylvania thanks to both natural expansion and reintroduction programs. The Game Commission now considers the fisher population well established in southwestern, central, and northern regions of Pennsylvania.
With male fishers weighing between seven and 15 pounds, fishers are the second-largest member of Pennsylvania's weasel family, as noted by the Game Commission. Fishers range from 30 to 48 inches in length. According to CBS News, the fisher caught on camera is estimated to be about 36 inches long.
A healthy fisher population contributes to a healthy forest ecosystem. Fishers are carnivorous animals that help control rodent populations. They are recognized for their ability to prey on porcupines and forage throughout the forest effectively.
Fisher populations can help compensate for the loss of other predators in an ecosystem, particularly wolves and mountain lions, according to the National Park Service. Both wolves and mountain lions once roamed Pennsylvania and are now considered extinct from the state.
The fisher isn't the only species once thought to be extinct making a comeback. In Cambodia, the population of Siamese crocodiles is increasing after a 13-year conservation effort. Elsewhere, researchers in French Polynesia are seeing positive results after efforts to support the snail species known as Partula tohiveana.
In Ohio, the fisher has also made a reappearance after about 200 years.
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Definitely 👍 In this case, without trail camera technology, the fisher would most likely not have been spotted by a human in real time.
"The excitement level is, it's just something that is rare. People just never see this. … Like if you come out, it will just run off and hide. So, chance sighting of people seeing them without this kind of technology is very minimal," Bill Powers of PixCams told CBS News.
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