Free Republic

HOPKINTON, R.I. -- Rhode Island police said a 6-year-old boy walking to the bus stop with his mother was bitten by a fisher cat, a close relative of the weasel. Hopkinton police said the mother saw the animal Monday morning and initially thought it was a cat or a fox. She told police that the 20- to 25-pound animal attacked her son when the group began walking away. She said she kicked the fisher cat off the boy and another child threw a backpack at the animal when it appeared ready to strike again. The animal then attacked the backpack....

WESTERLY, R.I. -- Mike Andreozzi had just stepped outside to check on his family's beloved Pomeranian when he saw what appeared to be a large cat grab it from his lawn. He has since learned that the little dog was probably taken by a fisher cat. Fishers, which are actually members of the weasel family, are becoming more common in Westerly and other populated areas of western Rhode Island. Fishers nearly died out in the 1800s after forests were cleared and they were hunted for fur. But reforestation allowed them to repopulate southern New England, according to the Connecticut Department...