By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org News staff
Yes, there are bears roaming free in
— and beavers, fisher cats, minks, bald eagles
and coyotes. There are no moose, mountain lions or wild elephants, only at the
Here is a brief rundown of some of the uncommon creatures and critters roaming the
of the animals haven't been seen since Colonial or pre-Colonial times, when
they were either hunted into oblivion or lost their forest habitat. Rhode Island
Charlie Brown, a wildlife biologist for the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, said there are no exact numbers, but suggests many of these animals are coming back because of an increase in forested land, less hunting and the reintroduction of animals in neighboring states.
Black bears may not be breading in
but their numbers are growing between 7 percent and 8 percent in Connecticut and .
"Those excess bears have to go somewhere," Brown said. Young male
bears tend to "wander aimlessly" across large territories, especially
in the spring when 2-year-old bears leave the care of their mother. "They
basically strike out into the world trying to find their place," Brown
Bears have been spotted in management areas and forested habitat, and occasionally in
counties. They are mostly vegetarians and tend to avoid humans. "The trend
is there are likely to be more in the future," Brown said. Washington
Beaver pelts were a fashion staple and the animal was quickly wiped out during Colonial days. "They were a huge sought-after valued commodity," Brown said. "They were probably one of the first to disappear." Bwtween the 1950s and '70s, beavers were trapped and relocated in
Connecticut and Massachusetts
and since have migrated back into western and northern . Their numbers continue to grow
and are now found in seven watersheds, according to Brown. Rhode Island
|Note from Will: in March, I saw my first fisher cat, in broad|
daylight, dashing across my backyard. He moved too
fast for me to photograph, but he looked like this.
Fisher cats are not actually cats but are members of the weasel family. They have been long gone because of hunting, perhaps since the early 1700s. Fishers retreated northward until they re-emerged in the 1980s in wooded areas of all four counties in mainland
but not Aquidneck Island or other islands.
Coyotes never lived in
or much of the eastern until the 20th
century. The first recorded shooting of a coyote in United
Island occurred in
in 1968. Today, sightings are common in urban areas and in much of the state,
except on Warren Block Island. Coyotes are shy and
attacks on humans are rare.
Mink, also a member of the weasel family, never left
. They are
mainly nocturnal mammals living in wet habitats. Minks are carnivores that feed
on rodents, fish, crustaceans, frogs and birds. They can be found in all six Rhode Island New England states.
Mountain lions. Brown said he hasn't seen any credible evidence of mountain lions in
The last mountain lion in the state was shot in 1847 in West Greenwich and is
preserved at Rhode Island . There is no
native mountain lion population anywhere in Harvard
University New England,
according to officials.
Moose. About 1,000 Moose live in
but there are none in ,
according to Brown. Rhode Island
Beavers, coyotes, fisher cats and minks are all still trapped for their pelts in
, along with
raccoons, skunks, foxes, opossums and weasels. River otters are common, but
can't be trapped. Other uncommon critters seen rarely in these parts include
bobcats, southern flying squirrels, star-nosed moles and shrews. Rhode Island
Protected management areas are at risk of becoming islands as adjoining open space that allows many species to roam across larger territories is cleared for buildings and pavement. The stable growth of once rare animals in
, Brown said, "looks good
on paper, but it's not getting better." Rhode Island
He also said many smaller amphibians and reptiles are becoming less common because of their inability to relocate from smaller lots lost to development.