Wolverines depend on deep, persistent snowpack for denning and food caching, making them one of the species most immediately threatened by climate change, with welfare consequences for individuals already being documented.
Climate change is actively degrading the welfare of wolverines through multiple pathways. Females whose snow dens collapse prematurely expose cubs to lethal cold exposure — a direct, acute welfare harm. Loss of snow caching habitat means that wolverines expend enormous energy traversing large areas for adequate food, with periods of genuine hunger during lean seasons. Declining body condition in some populations suggests that nutritional stress is already occurring. The stress of living in a deteriorating habitat also has immunological consequences, potentially increasing disease susceptibility. Wolverines are a sentinel species for the welfare impacts of climate change on cold-adapted wildlife.