Among the more elusive critters you’ll find in the vast outdoors of the Mountain State is the fisher. Although their numbers are growing, it’s unlikely many have ever seen a fisher in the wild.
"I’ve lived in this state my entire life and I’ve only seen one…. and it was a road kill,” said Rob Silvester, Manager of the West Virginia Wildlife Center at French Creek.
The reclusive nature of the indigenous creature to West Virginia makes the new fisher display at French Creek an even greater attraction.
"One of the things we like to do here is put on display animals that you wouldn’t commonly see when you’re out walking in the woods of West Virginia,” said Silvester. "Everybody sees deer, everybody sees turkey and we have them on display here. But species like the fisher and bear that you wouldn’t commonly see are what we like to have on display."
The Wildlife Center has added a new fisher exhibit for 2008 at the Upshur
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The elusive fisher is abundant, but rarely seen in West Virginia –photos WV DNR |
County facility. The animals were procured from a captive facility in Wisconsin. Once common to the mountain state, fishers were all but eliminated in West Virginia by the timbering practices of the mid 20th century when most suitable habitat was destroyed. The DNR reintroduced the species in the 1970’s in the high mountain counties. Today their numbers are on the rise.
"We’ve had a trapping season on these things for years, but nobody ever caught one," explained Silvester. "But now you’re starting to see them show up in trapping records as their numbers increase."
The fisher’s name is a misnomer. They rarely prey on fish, but rather feast on small mammals. The fisher holds the odd distinction of being the number one predator of porcupines. Certainly fishers found in West Virginia are unlikely to be dodging quills since the porcupine isn’t a native West Virginia species, but they will put a hurting on ground moles, field mice, and other small critters.
As you can probably imagine, any animal willing to take on a sharp-quilled porcupine, and generally win the battle, carries a rather bitter disposition. They are more aggressive than most other animals of their species family. They’re often mistaken for wolverines or badgers. They thrive in coniferous forest environments, but can also exist in highland marsh and bog areas.
The two fishers recently added to the Wildlife Center’s lineup can be viewed daily. The center is located on Route 20 south of Buckhannon and is open year-round.