Wolverines are wide-ranging carnivores threatened by habitat loss and trapping across their circumpolar range. Their welfare in both wild and occasional captive contexts requires attention.
Wolverine welfare suffers most acutely from trapping and habitat loss. Leg-hold traps cause bone fractures and prolonged suffering over hours or days before collection. Wolverines' extreme ranging requirements make any captive setting, including the best zoos, fundamentally inadequate for their welfare. Stereotypic behaviour rates in wolverines exceed those in most other large carnivores in captivity - reflecting the severity of the space mismatch. Wild wolverine welfare is best served by continued trapping restrictions and habitat protection across their circumpolar range. Conservation tourism to see wolverines in Scandinavian wilderness areas provides economic alternatives to trapping.