CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio- An astonishing discovery was made after a wildlife camera spotted a fisher roaming through Cleveland Metroparks — its first appearance in Cuyahoga County for over a century, park officials say.
‘STRANGE’ CREATURE THOUGHT TO BE EXTINCT FOUND IN REMOTE RAINFOREST
The park’s trail camera captured the footage earlier this year, marking it as its first confirmed sighting of the species in the county since the 1800s, according to Cleveland Metroparks.
A fisher is a native mammal to the state and typically dwells within the Northern parts of Ohio.
Fisher spotted on trail camera in Cleveland Metroparks in Ohio
(Cleveland Museum Of Natural History via Storyful / FOX Weather)
In the video you can see the animal scampering past the camera and at one point, look right at it.
Park officials described the discovery as “tremendously exciting” as the fisher’s return emphasizes the impact and importance of long-term conservation and habitat restoration efforts throughout forests, wetlands and waterways.
This happens to be a significant discovery, as Cleveland Metroparks said that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources lists fishers as a species of special interest, pointing out they disappeared from most of the state by the mid-19th century due to habitat loss and unregulated trapping.
