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NEXT UP: # 4 SEED FISHER VERSUS # 5 SEED TIGER OWL #2019MMM photo credits: Tom Kogut 
Tiger owls are generally "free from natural enemies" predators such as coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions & are known to attack humans who get too close to their nests (Baumgartner 1939) #TheyWillCutYou #2019MMM
Males & females tiger owls mature by year 3 & females are larger. They produce 1-6 eggs/season & alternate roosting & hunting during the nesting season. Males do most of the hunting while females spend their time protecting the brood. (Baumgarter 1939) #2019MMM
We last saw our fisher hero being transported to the Calgary Zoo #cliffhanger AS PART OF THE WASHINGTON CASCADES FISHER REINTRODUCTION PROJECT!!!! #2019MMM
"Zoos & aquariums have considerable experience in managing a variety of taxa resulting in them being well placed to contribute to a wide range of conservation translocation projects. (Gilbert & Soorae 2017)" @Tania_Gilbert1 #2019MMM …lpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…
Importantly zoos & aquariums are often a young person's first exposure to animals of the world & they inspire people to care about conservation. (That's 1 year old me w/ my fam @sandiegozoo) More than 700 million people visit zoos & aquariums annually (Gusset &Dick 2011) #2019MMM
.@IUCN #RSG #CTSG developed guidelines to inform reintroductions & conservation translocation projects, #actuallivingscientist @hihinews @conversesj & @can_essay are leading experts in decision-making & risk-analysis zsl.org/science/whats-… #2019MMM
Fisher were extirpated from WA, mostly due to over-trapping during the Great Depression but colonialism was also a key factor (see @am_anatalia thread #bloodparks) Habitat & other resources were still present, making fisher reintroduction success likely #2019MMM
.@ConservationNW @WDFW & @NatlParkService teamed up to bring 90 fishers to the Olympic Mtns & 160 to the WA Cascades. Critically, releases continued during the #GovernmentShutdown as non-federal partners worked while federal staff were furloughed #2019MMM crosscut.com/2019/01/nature…
Project partners @CalgaryZoo & @NorthwestTrek provide vital veterinary services to ensure fisher are healthy when released & when mortalities occur they perform necropsies to determine the cause of death #2019MMM
Tonight's battle takes place in Mount Rainier National Park, where #actuallivingscientist @wildequids & ME!, along with partners, released fishers back to the traditional lands of the Nisqually Tribe #2019MMM (See video here: @silverfirmedia )
Fisher was outfitted with a radio transmitter to track survival, movements, home range establishment & den sites. The transmitter signals differently to indicate whether an animal is alive or dead #2019MMM
Folks playing at home who'd like a little music to set the mood for the battle... you may want to blast this 90s classic in the background #2019MMM #SoMuchHair
After being transported & released, fisher is finding his new habitat rich w/ food! The forest is teeming with SQUIRRELS, porcupine & mountain beaver #NotAnActualBeaver #SoManyLies #2019MMM wdfw.wa.gov/living/mtn_bea….
Feeling full & sleepy, fisher eyes the perfect rest site in an old snag & begins to climb #SleepWithOneEyeOpen #2019MMM photo credit: @wildequids
A territorial male tiger owl is on patrol of his 2 square mile nesting territory, trying to keep out any potential competitors or predators #AndOfThingsThatWillBite #2019MMM
The owl pair has two chicks that are about 4 weeks old. The female guards them at the nest & sees the interloper climbing the tree towards their nest #NeverMindTheNoiseYouHeard #ItsJustTheBeastUnderYourBed #2019MMM
The male tiger owl is not close by so she responds with a "wild, blood-curdling" vocal outburst, sizing up the fisher before taking flight (Baumgartner 1939) #ExitLight #2019MMM
As fisher crests the edge of the nest, tiger owl FLIPS LIFTS WITH HER WINGS AS HER TALONS ATTACK! fox13news.com/news/389190449… #2019MMM
Tiger owl evicts fisher from the tree, as he plumets to the forest floor, landing hard on his back against a root. Tiger owl follows, immobilizing fisher with her mass as she sinks strong talons into fisher's flesh (Fowler et al. 2009) #EnterNight #2019MMM
The fisher's eyes cloud as the radio signal changes... #OffToNeverNeverLand #2019MMM
The next day, project scientists recover the fallen fisher below the owl nest. The necropsy reveals contusions & puncture wounds consistent with avian talons. #2019MMM
Looks like #2019MMM fisher isn't one of the 67%+ fishers who survive their first year after relocation. wdfw.wa.gov/publications/0…
TIGER OWL PERSORATES FISHER #2019MMM
