New images from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife trail cameras show that rare fishers are reproducing in the South Cascades.
A 2-year-old female fisher, which was released in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in February, was seen coming down a tree from her den carrying a large kit.
"Reproductive success of a female this young and this new to the South Cascades is a positive sign that the reintroduction area can support a self-sustaining fisher population," said Tara Chestnut, a Mount Rainier National Park ecologist, in a release.
WDFW has been releasing the endangered creatures, which are part of the weasel family, in an effort to restore fishers to Washington state. Sixty-nine fishers have been released in the South Cascades so far.
"She is hopefully the first of many female fishers we photograph attending a den site and caring for kits in the South Cascades," said Jeff Lewis, a WDFW wildlife biologist, in a release.
Fishers are native to Washington forests, but were overharvested in the mid-1900’s and were eliminated.
WDFW, the National Park Service, and Conservation Northwest will release fishers in the North Cascades this fall.
