A rare forest animal may be dying from poison used on illegal marijuana farms on public lands, concludes a study by the University of California, Davis.
The university says some marijuana growers apply rat poison to deter a range of animals from their crops, and that can kill the fisher, a member of the weasel family.
Mourad Gabriel works for U.C. Davis and says it’s not just pot farmers who shouldn’t be growing on public lands.
click to hear Mourad Gabriel
The fate of the fisher affects more than just the animal that can reach up 10 pounds in size.
click to hear Mourad Gabriel
Gabriel calls the animal an “umbrella species” because if protected, the fisher’s survival assists other species.
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