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Wild Animals/I think we have a fisher on our property but not certain

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Expert: Jonathan Wright - 1/14/2007


Question
HI- My husband and I own 2 wooded acres in a rather concentrated area of homes in an unusual rural "suburb" of Chicago, IL.  We have owned the home for 6 months and as of the last month or so, have been woken multiple times a night with what sounds like a screaming child.  It is truly making our dogs miserable and one of our dogs is a small breed and it makes us a little frightened to let her out.  I know this is a nocturnal animal as the noise is almost always in the wee hours...didn't happen while it was warm....and is significantly close to the perimeter of our home.  I have been searching everywhere on the web for a sound clip because the local agency for wildlife does not subscribe to the possibility that this is anything other than our imaginations or a house cat in heat - we don't own a house cat.  WE were also told there were coyotes nearby but have NEVER seen or heard them.  Got any insights where we can listen to some sound clips?  I was able to find a clip of a screech owl and that's definitely not it.  A sound clip would really help---- Thank you! Lori

Answer
Dear Lori

Thanks for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page confirms that one of the calls of a fisher sounds like a child screaming or someone in dire need of help.

http://www.owlcam.com/owls03/may03/may15-31/fisher_attack.htm may be useful but the sounds seem to be lower pitched.

I looked at several websites, but none of these seemed to have the call of a fisher. Your description does seem to correspond to the description given above. I would advise you to record it and play it to a member of a wildlife organisation for clarification.

I'm sorry I couldn't help more.

All the best

Jonathan  

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Jonathan Wright

Expertise

I can answer questions about wild mammals and other animals, as well as extinct animals and zoos. I am not an expert about every animal species. I can look up information from books and the internet, but can't verify if all the information is true. Please don't ask questions about: 1. Pets. I am not a vet. Please contact a vet if your pet is ill. You may need to spend some money if you want your pet to live. Don't get a pet if you don't know how to look after it and if you can't provide it with the space, food and possible companions that will help it live a healthy life. Don't take animals from the wild, unless they are ill and/or injured and you can protect them until a wildlife charity can help. It is cruel to take animals from their parents, especially if the parents will look for the babies, while putting their other babies at risk. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals or you may need a licence to look after some species. Please check with a local wildlife group. 2. Eggs: Please don't remove eggs from nests. The mother birds provide the right temperature for the eggs and won't sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them to see if they are fertile. If theys aren't fertile, they won't hatch. 3. Fights: Please don't ask about fights between different animals. These questions assume that individuals of two species fight each time they meet and that one species will always be victorious over another. This is untrue. There are cases where a live mouse has been fed to a venomous snake, bitten the snake leading to the snake's demise. 4: Diseases: Please ask doctors or other medical experts about diseases that you may catch from animals. I can't advise on how to deal with viruses, bacteria etc.

Experience

I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.

Organizations
WWF. ZSL. Natural History Museum. RSPB. London Bat Group.

Publications
Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group

Education/Credentials
BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' level in Zoology. 'O' Level in Biology.

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