Wolverines are one of the most climate-vulnerable large carnivores, dependent on persistent spring snow for denning, and their welfare is increasingly threatened by warming temperatures in mountain and boreal regions.
Climate change creates welfare harm for wolverines through two primary mechanisms: reproductive failure when snowpack is insufficient for denning, causing pup mortality in partially constructed dens; and range contraction that forces animals into increasingly marginal habitat with lower prey availability and higher human conflict risk. Female wolverines that cannot complete gestation and pup-rearing in suitable snow conditions abandon cubs or produce smaller litters. The long-term trend is toward population fragmentation and local extinction in the southern parts of the range. Climate action that reduces temperature rise provides the most effective welfare protection for climate-vulnerable species like wolverines.