A vicious visitor has neighbors concerned in Madison. A family spotted a fisher cat in their front yard and now they’re warning people to protect their pets.
"It was not a UFO. It was not a sasquatch," said Michael Kuszpa.
He captured video of the "fisher cat" running through his front lawn Friday morning.
"I noticed this big weasel crossed with a wolverine and I knew it was a fisher cat, " said Kuszpa.
He saw it walking in his front yard in the middle of the day. After the animal made its way under the Kuszpa's car it ran off into the woods, started digging for something and bolted into his neighbors property.
"Usually they're by people that are out in the wildlife hiking that even to find their tracks is something unique," Kuszpa added.
It was unique for this New Haven science teacher to see but also worrisome because of the animal's hunting habits.
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"They can consume people's pets, possibly attack a small child. I think it's highly unlikely but it's a possibility," he said.
The Department of Environmental and Energy Protection says these fishers are everywhere. They're part of the weasel family and because they tend to travel in open areas and be nocturnal they're rarely seen by humans until Kuszpa took the video Friday morning.
DEEP urges people not to leave small pets outside unattended because even if a fisher doesn't get them, a coyote might.
While Kuszpa knows there's not much officials can do, he wants the public to know as he looked on to see his two girls, Alexis and Nicole, and two Labradors run in the front yard.
Officials from DEEP also say it's unlikely "fisher cats" will bother humans. Officials recommend removing any food sources such as garbage cans from your property.
