Wolverines are legally trapped across parts of their range for fur and population management. The welfare implications of trapping and the conservation status of wolverines raise important ethical questions.
Trapping wolverines raises serious welfare concerns. Leghold traps cause pain, injury, and extreme psychological stress during the time between capture and trapper arrival — which may be 24 hours or more in remote areas. Trapped wolverines often sustain self-inflicted injuries in escape attempts. Killing methods vary widely in humaneness. Beyond individual welfare, trapping affects wolverine population dynamics in already-stressed populations. Some jurisdictions require more humane trapping methods under AIHTS (Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards), but enforcement is inconsistent. Conservation organizations have called for wolverine protection as their range shrinks with climate change, making trapping pressure more significant relative to population size.