Rare Fisher Returns to Ohio After 150 Years

An elusive fisher, a medium-sized forest mammal, has been documented in Cleveland Metroparks, marking its return to Cuyahoga County after an absence of more than a century. Wildlife officials confirmed the sighting earlier this year, identifying it as the first recorded fisher in the county since the species vanished in the 1800s.

The disappearance of fishers from Ohio was attributed to unregulated trapping and widespread habitat destruction by the mid-19th century. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources currently lists them as a "Species of Special Interest," underscoring their rarity and the significance of their reappearance.

Metroparks leaders expressed excitement over this rediscovery, celebrating it as another instance of a native species, once eradicated, naturally returning to the region. This event offers a hopeful sign for wildlife conservation efforts and biodiversity in Ohio.