Wolverines are trapped for fur and as bycatch in trapping programs across Canada, Russia and some US states, with significant welfare implications for animals caught in leg-hold traps.
Wolverine trapping imposes acute and prolonged welfare costs on animals caught in leg-hold traps. The combination of pain from the trap, fear, exposure, and inability to flee creates a state of extreme distress that may last days. Self-directed injury to escape the trap adds additional harm. Welfare standards for trapping — including checking intervals, trap designs, and prohibition of particularly harmful trap types — are inconsistently applied across jurisdictions. From a welfare perspective, the fur trade demand driving commercial trapping is the root cause, and consumer refusal of wild-caught fur is the most direct welfare intervention.