Home: Species at Risk: Wolverine

Wolverine

Status

In 1991, the Wolverine was included on the Blue List of species that may be at risk in the province. This designation was assigned because of reduced harvests and unknown population status. The Blue List designation was maintained in a 1996 review, because of the naturally low population size, an aversion to humans, and because there was too little information to clearly define the status of the species in the province. The Wolverine is also designated as a "fur-bearing animal" in Alberta, and is subject to trapping quotas and other harvest restrictions.

Globally, the Wolverine is considered to be a vulnerable species, indicating that it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild in the next 10 years. In Norway, Sweden and Finland, Wolverines are considered to be endangered, and legislation and penalties have been established to protect local populations. Some groups in the United States are lobbying to list the Wolverine as threatened or endangered in all of the 48 contiguous states.

Reprinted from Alberta Wildlife Status Report No. 2 (1997), with permission from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.

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