The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is North America's largest terrestrial mustelid. Dependent on deep snowpack for denning, wolverines face acute threats from climate change affecting their welfare and survival.
Wolverines live at the intersection of multiple welfare threats. Trapping causes acute suffering — wolverines caught in leg-hold traps may suffer for hours before the trapper arrives, experiencing pain, fear, and exhaustion. Snares cause strangulation injuries. Even where trapping is regulated, welfare standards are inconsistently enforced. As climate change reduces snowpack, female wolverines attempting to den face reproductive failure — litters born without adequate snow insulation suffer high mortality. Wolverines with inadequate winter food (scavenged carcasses) face energetic stress. The precautionary principle of ESA listing provides habitat protection, but climate adaptation will require active conservation intervention — habitat corridors, reduced trapping pressure, and research into population viability under changing conditions.