For those new to web forums: Don't feed the trolls

[John]

It isn't.  But, fishercats are the porcupines only natual enemy, so something has to be done . . .

[president]

It isn't.  But, fishercats are the porcupines only natual enemy, so something has to be done . . .

The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a premier example of a generalized predator - one that eats any animal it is able to catch and overpower with its speed, agility, and strength. Perhaps the most impressive display of the fisher's prowess as a hunter is its ability to regularly kill porcupines, something that few other animals are able to do.

The fisher is uniquely adapted to preying on the porcupine. When a fisher catches a porcupine out in the open, away from the safety of a tree or its den, it begins a circling attack. Fishers are the same height as porcupines and can fight face to face. As the porcupine tries to waddle to safety, the fisher heads it off, darting in to claw at the unprotected face with unsheathed claws. Quickness, agility and effective biting help the fisher to avoid a porcupine's back and tail and concentrate on rapidly striking the unprotected face. After about half an hour, the porcupine collapses, and the fisher settles down to a nutritious meal.

A Fisher will begin eating somewhere on the unprotected belly. The heart, liver and lungs are eaten first and then the rest being eaten from the inside out. It can then enter a semi-hibernation state of up to 3 weeks as a porcupine meal is very healthy.

The porcupine has some interesting ways of defending itself from attacks by the fisher. It hides its head from the fisher by sticking it into a hole in the ground. This protects its face from attack and sets up a wall of quills, which the fisher cannot attack. When hiding in a tree den or under a rocky crevice, the porcupine is safe from attack.

The porcupine also defends itself by climbing trees and positioning itself so that its quills are facing the fisher. This seldom works because the fisher is a terrific tree climber. It has specially designed claws and feet that make it an expert in tree climbing. It can climb down a tree with its face pointing downward and attack the porcupine from above.



Porcupines are rodents. The third largest rodent.

Early settlers found the porcupine good to eat.

The porcupine is a pest - it kills trees by eating the bark. Logging companies do not like porcupines because they eat the bark of trees and this can kill trees. In some forests, fishers have been reintroduced to try to control porcupine populations. This biological control method has been successful at least for short-term population reductions; it is currently unknown how well it works for long-term porcupine population control.

Porcupines are very short-sighted. This animal has poor eyesight and moves slowly. They are often killed as they cross highways. Cars and trucks kill more porcupines than all other enemies put together.

One of the stranger aspects of the male porcupines courting strategy begins with a love dance done while waddling on his back legs. For his grand finale, the male anoints his intended mate in a shower of urine. Witnesses to this bizarre ritual claim that powerful bursts may travel over six feet! If the female is sexually receptive, being sprayed with urine acts as a stimulant. If not, she will simply walk away.

The porcupine is the perfect mascot for the FSP. 

[SethCohn]

One of the stranger aspects of the male porcupines courting strategy begins with a love dance done while waddling on his back legs. For his grand finale, the male anoints his intended mate in a shower of urine. Witnesses to this bizarre ritual claim that powerful bursts may travel over six feet! If the female is sexually receptive, being sprayed with urine acts as a stimulant. If not, she will simply walk away.

You'll find the same is true of Fisher's mom.  When she's sprayed with urine when she's horny., she gets more excited too.  Nothing like our porcupine courting, is there?

Oops, not supposed to feed them, right?

[AlanM]

Troll alert! Troll activity is picking up. Secure your feed bags!

[John]

Thanks for the "refresher" info president . . . 
I recall that your info is OK.  Agree or disagree your info seems to be spot on - although (as far as I know) the re introduction of fishers has not happened in NH.   

[John]

One of the stranger aspects of the male porcupines courting strategy begins with a love dance done while waddling on his back legs. For his grand finale, the male anoints his intended mate in a shower of urine. Witnesses to this bizarre ritual claim that powerful bursts may travel over six feet! If the female is sexually receptive, being sprayed with urine acts as a stimulant. If not, she will simply walk away.

You'll find the same is true of Fisher's mom.? When she's sprayed with urine when she's horny., she gets more excited too.? Nothing like our porcupine courting, is there?

Oops, not supposed to feed them, right?

Dude, take it easy!  Don't attack the guy's mother!  Our "friend" has not done anything here to deserve that sort of abuse.

Seth, you are better than that.  I hope all of my friends are.
It seems to me that "president" has some legitiment issues with individuals who have conducted themselves badly in NH . . . The "issues" may have more to do with how ideas are presented than the issues themselves . . .

Regardless, "president" is concerned enough to stay tuned.  As far as I know, president/fisher has never been personaly abusive of any of us . . .

If we have "issues" let's address them.

My daughter is not "one of us" but, she was able to spend time at the PorcFest without any abuse.  We should treat everyone as well.   

[Kat Kanning]

I hear that fishers (who are weasels, no?  ) hunt cats, too!   

[president]

Seth, you are better than that.

No, he's not. If he was he wouldn't do it. It's not the first time.
Hopefully, some day, Seth will grow as a person.

I hear that fishers (who are weasels, no?? ) hunt cats, too!? ?

The fisher is a large member of the Mustelidae (weasel) family.

http://www.nhfishandwildlife.com/weasels.htm

FISHER, often nicknamed "fishercats" in New Hampshire, are one of the most common land predators in the state -- and one of the least well understood. Fisher are a mammal of great mystique here; probably more folklore abounds for this species than any other in the state.

...

"Fishercats" are blamed for dozens of missing cats each year. Do they eat cats? Sure, as do foxes, coyotes, owls and -- more likely -- a local SUV. It is the nature of a housecat injured on a highway to seek a hiding place to die, but you can bet a "fishercat" will be blamed for its disappearance. In 1979 and 1980, Fish and Game collected more than 1,000 fisher and checked their stomach contents to determine what they had been feeding on. Cat hair was found in exactly...one! Housecats are not part of their regular diet, but, like the other predators, fishers are opportunists.

Agree or disagree your info seems to be spot on - although (as far as I know) the re introduction of fishers has not happened in NH.? ?

I don't think the fisher has ever needed to be re-introduced to NH. Fisher from NH have be used to re-establish the populations in other states.

http://www.nhfishandwildlife.com/weasels.htm

Fisher live-trapped in New Hampshire have been translocated to three other states to help re-establish populations. In 1975, 25 were transferred to West Virginia in exchange for 25 wild turkeys. In the early 1980s, about 30 were transferred to Connecticut; and in the mid 1990s, 175 were shipped to Pennsylvania to re-establish an extirpated population there.

[Kat Kanning]

Whew, that's a relief.

[Russell Kanning]

even trolls need to eat

[Pat McCotter]

Fearing rabies, Londonderry police shoot two animals
http://www.unionleader.com/Articles_show.html?article=58855&archive=1

By RUSS CHOMA
Union Leader Correspondent



LONDONDERRY ? Two animals showing signs of rabies were shot and killed over the weekend, including a fisher cat.

The first call came Saturday around 10 a.m. to 14 Mill Road. Londonderry police Officer Mark Morrison said when he approached the fisher, it "had a noticeable sway from side to side." After the animal attacked a broom stick, Morrison shot it four times, then disposed of the body in a plastic garbage bag at the police station.

"The animal was clearly sick and displayed signs of rabies," Morrison said in his report.

Londonderry police Capt. William Hart said that if the suspicious animal hasn't had contact with a person or pets, his department does not typically send them for testing.

The second call involved a skunk and came Sunday around 6:30 p.m. from 59 Pillsbury Road.

Joyce Rosenberg, who lives at the address, said her husband and sons were in their back yard when they spotted a skunk.

"They were out in the yard playing, and all of a sudden they saw the skunk and he kept walking around our pool," Rosenberg said. "And he kept falling over and he had flies around him."

Her husband called the police, who killed the animal and took it away, Rosenberg said.

Dennis Slate, national rabies management coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who is based in Concord, said raccoon rabies is endemic to the southern two-thirds of New Hampshire. Fishers, a member of the weasel family, are not considered a big source of rabies, he said.

"Fisher densities are generally quite low, so the fisher is not considered a reservoir (for rabies,)" Slate said.

Rob Calvert, a wildlife biologist with New Hampshire Fish and Game, agreed that fishers are not usually known for carrying rabies.

"A fisher will occasionally attack a raccoon for food, typically when food supplies are scarce," Calvert said. "But their interaction is not usually one that puts them in close proximity to other animals."

Calvert said raccoons, skunks and woodchucks are the most common carriers of rabies, though bats and foxes are also known to have their own strains.

Slate said that according to numbers given to him by the state's public health office, until May 31 there were only three confirmed reports of rabid animals in the state ? one in Goffstown and two in Piermont.

Slate said it is possible the fisher in Londonderry had rabies, but it is impossible to determine without testing, which he said is rather expensive.

"You cannot tell rabies by the clinical signs alone ? only in the laboratory, by testing," Slate said.

Rabies is a virus that infects warm-blooded mammals and can cause them to act disoriented or aggressive. One of the most common symptoms is weaving or circling. Animals may also act unusually calm or withdrawn.

Slate said animals can exhibit similar symptoms if they are infected with canine distemper or have ingested toxins such as anti-freeze.

Calvert warned anyone who spots an animal that may be sick to be cautious. Larger animals may seem more dangerous than a small, sickly looking rodent, he said, but it's not always the case.

"A lot of people are concerned about seeing a bear. I'm concerned about the raccoon that wanders through the urban environment," he said. "People, and kids in particular, need to avoid that kind of animal."

Any animal that seems overly friendly or out in the open should be treated with suspicion, Calvert said.

"Animals that are approachable are probably not healthy animals," he said.

He also warned homeowners against feeding wildlife.

"The more you congregate wildlife like that, the more chance a disease springs out of that," he said.

[YeahItsMeJP]

For those interested in more trolls to ignore, I believe BarryD just asked to be ignored....

JP

[John]

Barry Who?  Never heard of him . . . 

[Dreepa]

Maybe we should all think about this again.

Greenbacks is turning this into a debate (yawn) better left on the FSP forum.

Let the threads die.

[rima]

Hello,

I am a newly registered member.  I am NOT a troll, but I do like to debate and weigh value per value in rational and polite discussion.  I don't know what "Karma" means or what the accompanying number signifies.  Can you advise me, please?  ???

My prime (libertarian) interests are advocating for home schooling and charter schools, and protesting against the recent Supreme Court "Eminent Domain" decision  re: Kelo.  I would have joined in the Souter-House protest if I had known about it at the time.

Thanks, from Rima (Hillsborough county NH resident)