Wolverines are the consummate scavengers of boreal and alpine ecosystems. Their remarkable ability to find cached food in deep snow is essential for winter survival and welfare.
Wolverine winter welfare depends on two critical resources: persistent snow and adequate carcass availability. Deep snow allows wolverines to travel efficiently and access buried carcasses. Food caches stored in permafrost or snowfields provide reserves during lean periods. As climate change reduces snow depth and duration, both movement efficiency and cache viability are compromised. Wolverines that cannot access adequate winter food face starvation in remote terrain where they are invisible to any potential intervention. The connection between wolverine welfare and climate extends beyond denning into every aspect of their winter ecology, making climate action the foundational wolverine welfare response.