A rare family of Wolverines has returned to Mount Rainier National Park in the United States for the first time in over a century, according to a statement by park officials. The family, which includes an adult mother and two kits were spotted by wildlife cameras set up by National Park Service and scientists involved in the Cascades Carnivore Project.
‘It’s really, really exciting,’ said Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins. ‘It tells us something about the condition of the park – that when we have such large-ranging carnivores present on the landscape that we’re doing a good job of managing our wilderness.’
Wolverine family at Mount Rainier National Park.
Wolverines are an extremely rare species in the US, with an estimated 300-1000 individual wolverines thought to be alive in the lower 48 US states, according to CNN. The cameras which captured the family of wolverines was originally set up in 2018 after reports that wolverines had been seen in the adjacent area, which led scientists to believe wolverines may start returning to the park. Now, those sightings have finally been confirmed.
The location of the wolverines and their den has not been released to the public. This information has been held back to protect them and their new home from any potential harm.
Mount Rainier National Park shared the good news via its twitter with a caption that read ‘Wolverines Return to Mount Rainier National Park After More Than 100 Years,’ along with a video of the family playfully running through the park.
Wolverines Return to Mount Rainier National Park After More Than 100 Years, News Release: https://t.co/qmCkTDsFAU
Video of three wolverines at the end of a snowfield then running through a meadow into a forest. Credit: Travis Harris -kl pic.twitter.com/ALwJoAOmTG
— MountRainierNPS (@MountRainierNPS) August 20, 2020
Image credit: Cascades Carnivore Project/NPS
