Another rare wolverine sighting – an encounter captured in footage posted below – has been confirmed in Oregon.
The footage shows the stocky animal scurrying down a snowy slope and crossing Highway 20 east of Santiam Pass.
According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, this was among several reported wolverine sightings over the last month.
As @VancityReynolds has proven, it’s hard to keep Wolverine down. Another wolverine sighting with confirmed tracks at Santiam Pass has folks wondering if this is an early promotional tour for Deadpool 3. – https://t.co/e7mCJWjaqx
📹Adrian Quetschke pic.twitter.com/xsE30MMsqG
— Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (@MyODFW) April 14, 2023
The first confirmed sighting occurred March 20 when two anglers photographed a wolverine on the bank of McGuire Island on the Columbia River near Portland.
That was the first documentation of a wolverine beyond the state’s Willowa Mountains in 30-plus years.
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Wolverines are not suddenly popping up everywhere, however.
The ODFW stated that based on the locations and timing of recent verified sightings, they might involve the same animal.
Wolverines are solitary, elusive critters that reside in high-elevation, rugged terrain. They are rarely encountered.
However, younger wolverines can travel as much as 30 miles per day while trying to establish new territory.
The ODFW and Cascadia Wild, a nonprofit that conducts surveys for wolverines on Mt. Hood, have been fielding recent sightings reports.
The ODFW stated this week in a news release:
“Wolverine are rare in Oregon and these sightings are significant to wildlife conservation. The initial sighting along the Columbia River last month was the first confirmed report of a wolverine outside of the Wallowa Mountains in over 30 years.
“The last documented wolverine in the Central Cascades was killed in 1969 by a trapper near Broken Top Mountain. Wolverine is listed as a state threatened species in Oregon and no hunting or trapping of wolverine is allowed.”
Wolverines are the largest members of the weasel family. The burly carnivores, bear-like in appearance, can weigh as much as 30 pounds.
