Fisher
(image: tvblogs.nationalgeographic.com)
Greetings neighbours,
I am sending you this personal message because I think it is of general interest in our community. Recently, several cats have disappeared in our neighbourhood. I lost two cats in a ten-day period. Several of my neighbours near Ch. Mille-Isles West have also lots cats: they live on Mille-Isle East, Tamaracouta, and also on Lac Hughes.Yesterday evening my next door neighbours saw a fisher (Martes pennanti) close to their house. This confirms my suspicions about the guilty party. Fishers can also attack small dogs. A resident of Wentworth North lost two cats and a small dog.
What we can do to protect our pets, apart from keeping them close to us, is to ask trappers, with the necessary permits, to install traps on the terriory. Fishers may be trapped from Oct. 25th to March 1st.
I hope you have better luck than I have with your small animals.
Manon Laroche, citoyenne de Mille-Isles
Note from translator
My sympathies to all who lost a beloved pet. However, I must comment that traps themselves pose a danger to our animals, if they roam. Animals other than the desired species suffer a slow, painful death. If traps must be used, local residents should be informed of their location. Note that traps may not be put on private property without permission from the owners. Having chosen to live in the woods, the natural environment of many predators, we keep our cats inside.
A message received from Manon Laroche of Forum Mille-Isles and the translator of her message.