Wolverines are wide-ranging carnivores facing habitat loss from climate change and human persecution. Understanding their welfare needs in the wild guides conservation and management decisions.
Wolverine welfare is threatened by a combination of direct human persecution and the indirect but devastating effects of climate change on their reproductive habitat. Denning females require deep, persistent snow to maintain den temperature and protect cubs — as spring snowpack declines, denning success drops. Trapping causes acute suffering both in target wolverines and in non-target species caught in wolverine traps. Retaliatory killing of wolverines suspected of livestock predation is difficult to regulate in remote areas. Conservation approaches that reduce persecution through adequate legal protection, trapping regulation, and livestock conflict management simultaneously address both population health and individual welfare.