Global Courant
A wild wolverine was spotted multiple times last month in California, only the second instance verified by experts in the past century, according to the State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Over a two-week period in May, the wolverine was reported twice in Inyo National Forest and once in Yosemite National Park. Photos and video of the animal were analyzed by US Forest Service experts, who confirmed it was the same creature due to its body proportions, coloring and movement.
“Wolverines can travel great distances, making it likely that the recent sightings are all of the same animal,” senior environmental scientist Daniel Gammons of the Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement. “Because only two wolverines have been confirmed in California in the last 100 years, these latest detections are exciting.”
No wolverine has been spotted in the California wilderness since 2018, and that same creature was also reported in the Truckee region of Tahoe National Forest in 2008. Since wolverines typically live to be 12 to 13 years old, the 2023 sightings are believed to be a different animal.
“Some people may see it and not realize it’s incredibly rare,” said Tim Daly, a spokesperson for the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Julia Lawson, another environmental scientist with the department, said records exist of wolverines that lived in the Sierra Nevada until 1922. However, that population was eroded through a combination of hunting, trapping, and poisoning to prevent them from preying on livestock.
The creatures, which are genetically related to weasels and badgers, are widespread in Alaska and Canada, with smaller populations in Washington and Idaho, according to conservationists.
Wolverines can resemble small bears given their fur and size. They are listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act and it is illegal to export, kill, possess or purchase them.
They are largely solitary, meaning any wild specimen found in California has likely walked here because of its solitude.
“It sounds far-fetched, but that’s the most likely explanation,” Lawson said. “Our speculation as to why this glutton made it here was that it was a huge snow year.”
Lawson said researchers are very interested in learning more about the wolverine and hope to collect genetic samples, such as hair, feces or saliva left at feeding sites.
Anyone who believes they have sighted the creature can report it to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at apps.wildlife.ca.gov/wir.
