Wolverines are elusive mountain carnivores threatened by climate change destroying their snow-dependent denning habitat. Research is revealing the welfare challenges they face in warming landscapes.
Wolverines face welfare challenges arising from their extreme environment and increasing climate pressure. Denning females require stable deep snow for insulated maternity dens — snowpack loss can cause den collapse or abandonment, resulting in cub mortality. Trapping causes acute welfare harms: leg-hold and body-grip traps cause injury, stress, and prolonged suffering before the trapper returns. Trapped wolverines may self-injure attempting to escape. Territorial conflicts with conspecifics and predators cause injury. Research activities including capture for GPS collaring cause acute stress but generate welfare-critical data for conservation. The greatest long-term welfare threat is climate change reducing the snow-dependent habitat that wolverines require for successful reproduction and food storage.