Abstract:
It has been 150 years since the last fisher, a large weasel-like mammal, lived in the high southern Appalachians. The animal preys mostly on rabbits, squirrels, birds, and other small animals. The fisher's pelt was highly prized, which led to its disappearance from North Carolina in the 1830s. Now the National Park Service is considering restoring them in the Smoky Mountains National Park. Restoration will depend on whether the fisher will affect the park's small population of endangered northern flying squirrels, an animal fishers are known to eat.