Wolverine Background and Recovery

Called “skunk bear” by the Blackfeet Indians, the wolverine is the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family. Populations of the rare wolverine have decreased precipitously and yet the species is still not federally protected.

Since 2000, Defenders has been actively involved pushing the federal government to protected this unique forest carnivore under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Part of the problem is that very little is known about the ecology of the wolverine and what it needs to survive. To address this, Defenders is helping fund ground-breaking research in Glacier National Park.

We know that habitat degradation and trapping are threats to the wolverine’s survival, but the impacts of global warming may be even more worrisome, causing fundamental shifts in the high alpine habitat that they require for denning and raising their young.