Six fishers from Canada are now roaming free in their new home in the North Cascades. Five females and one male were let loose Wednesday from wooden boxes as children helped.
The fishers were released as a part of an effort to restore the animals back to their native range. They were trapped for fur in the 20th century and disappeared.
Fishers are a member of the weasel family and about the size of a large house cat.
A total of 69 fishers have been released in the South Cascades since 2015. This was the first release in the North Cascades.
Biologists will monitor the fishers with radio telemetry and other methods to evaluate success.
The plan is to release a total of 80 fishers in the North Cascades between 2018 and 2020.