Wolverines are among the most wide-ranging carnivores and face existential threats from climate change eliminating the deep spring snow they depend on for denning.
Wolverine welfare is inextricably linked to climate change. Animals denning in insufficient snowpack lose kits to exposure and predation. As suitable habitat shrinks, territorial conflicts increase between males competing for ever-smaller areas of viable range. Trapping causes acute suffering and death, and at current rates may be unsustainable given projected habitat loss. The combination of low reproductive rate and accelerating habitat loss creates a welfare and conservation crisis that demands urgent action on both fronts simultaneously.