The wolverine is one of North America most elusive and wide-ranging carnivores, facing threats from trapping, snowpack loss, and habitat fragmentation across its Canadian range.
Wolverine welfare is threatened primarily by climate change eliminating the snowpack essential for successful denning and food storage. Trapped wolverines may languish in leg-hold traps for extended periods before the trapper returns, causing acute suffering from exposure, stress, and injury. Low reproductive rates mean that even modest increases in mortality from trapping have population-level impacts. The welfare of individual wolverines is difficult to assess given their extreme rarity and elusive nature, but their behavioural indicators — wide ranging, curiosity, cache-reliant nutrition — suggest significant cognitive complexity demanding appropriate welfare consideration.