Wolverines are elusive, wide-ranging predators that face threats from trapping, habitat loss, and climate change. Their welfare in the wild is compromised by human activities across much of their range.
Wolverine welfare is compromised by both direct trapping harms and climate-driven habitat loss. Leg-hold traps cause acute pain and can cause the animal to injure itself further attempting to escape. Check intervals for traps vary — animals may suffer for hours to days before a trapper arrives. Climate change reducing snowpack threatens reproductive success — females unable to find adequate denning sites abandon litters. The combination of slow reproduction, vast space requirements, and multiple human pressures makes each individual wolverine significant to population viability. More humane trapping methods and climate action are both needed to meaningfully address wolverine welfare.