Baby fishers rescued on the South Shore

After three baby fishers were found in the hollow of a tree cut down in Cohasset on Earth Day, Cohasset police stepped in, and the babies are now in the care of the New England Wildlife Center.

Fishers, sometimes called “fisher cats,” are members of the mustelid family, which also includes weasels, badgers, and otters. The siblings were in a stand of trees in Cohasset that were cut down and transported to Stoughton for processing. 

“While they were unloading the logs they discovered the three babies among the pile of wood,” New England Wildlife Center wrote in a Facebook post.

Stoughton Animal Control brought the fishers to New England Wildlife Center’s hospital in Weymouth, where staff conducted a full exam and found no injuries. Since the babies were only mildly dehydrated, vets administered fluids and electrolytes to rehydrate them and then transported them back to where they were found in the hopes their mother would find them. 

Cohasset police Natural Resources Officer Josh Kimball and Hingham police Animal Control Officer Leslie Badger assisted the mission. The next day, the babies were still there, so they are now back in the hands of the New England Wildlife Center. 

“Even though it failed, a reunion attempt is always worth a try when the babies are healthy so that we know for sure if they are truly orphaned and should remain in rehab for long term care,” New England Wildlife Center wrote on Facebook.

The fishers will continue to receive care through the spring and summer until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. 

“It’s unfortunate they had such a rough start to life but we are grateful for the efforts of all parties involved to make sure they got the help they needed and ended up in the right place,” New England Wildlife Center said in its post.

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