Wolverines aren’t seen often in the wild. In fact, there have only been eight confirmed sightings of the animal in Yellowstone National Park over the past 43 years.
One new sighting occurred last week, and the “elusive” animal has since been fitted with a GPS collar. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Services, it is “now wandering the Uinta Mountains.”
“It's amazing to get a chance to see a wolverine in the wild, let alone catch one,” said DWR Northern Region Wildlife Manager Jim Christensen. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Also known as “Gulo gulo,” wolverines are mid-sized carnivores that are part of the weasel family, said Yellowstone National Park. They are often active in cold, snowy environments, and can be found in mountainous areas of the western United States, including the greater Yellowstone area. Wolverines have low reproductive rates, and projected climate change models predict that snowpack used by the animals may become limited by 2050.
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They “are so rarely seen and inhabit such remote terrain at low densities that assessing population trends is difficult, and sudden declines could go unnoticed for years,” said Yellowstone. Wolverines in the lower 48 states are under consideration for protection under the Endangered Species Act, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
Though wolverines are typically rarely seen, one was spotted in Yellowstone National Park this month, according to NBC News. Christensen also said four different sightings were reported in Utah last year. Data from the captured animal will help scientists figure out whether people were seeing one wolverine or multiple wolverines, he added.
GPS data is expected to “provide invaluable information to biologists,” said the Utah DWR. They will be able to see where it travels, the size of its home range, and the types of habitats it uses throughout the year. This information could be used to manage wolverines in the U.S.
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According to the Utah DWR, personnel from USDA-Wildlife Services who were conducting livestock protection work in a fixed-wing airplane spotted an animal feeding on a dead sheep on March 10. Upon flying closer, they confirmed the animal was a wolverine.
In addition to the dead sheep, the wolverine killed or wounded 17 others in the area that morning. A sheepherder removed the sheep from the area.
Utah DWR staff then set up traps for the wolverine with parts of the dead sheep.
“There was so much activity in the area that morning," Christensen noted, "I thought the wolverine would be long gone, and we wouldn’t be able to catch it.”
A sheepherder found the wolverine March 11 in one of the traps. It was the first wolverine ever captured by biologists in Utah.
After the capture, Utah DWR staff brought the wolverine back to the department’s office in Ogden, Utah. Biologists sedated the animal, drew blood, collected hair samples, checked its teeth, and took a series of measurements. They also monitored the animal’s heart rate, breathing, and temperature throughout the examination while applying alcohol and ice to its armpits and stomach to keep it cool.
Through their examination, the biologists determined the wolverine was a male between three and four years old. It weighed 28 pounds and was 41 inches long from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail.
“The animal had good, sharp teeth,” Christensen said. “It was in really good condition.”
Once the exam was complete, the effects of the sedation were reversed and the wolverine was put back in the trap. It was released on public land the same day it was captured on the North Slope of the Uinta Mountains.
“It took only a couple of minutes for it to start waking up,” Christensen said. “Pretty soon, it was wide awake and as lively as ever.”
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