‘It’s really, really exciting’: Wolverines return to Mount Rainier National Park after more than 100 years

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK — For the first time in more than 100 years, scientists have discovered the first reproductive female wolverine and two offspring in Mount Rainier National Park.

Click here to see photos of the female and her offspring (called kits).

“It’s really, really exciting,” Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said in a news release. “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.”

Officials said wolverines are extremely rare in the U.S. and there are estimated to be only 300 to 1,000 in the lower forty-eight states.

Mount Rainier National Park officials said the discovery would not have been possible without the group of scientists and volunteers led by Dr. Jocelyn Akins of the Cascades Carnivore Project.

“Many species that live at high elevation in the Pacific Northwest, such as the wolverine, are of particular conservation concern due to their unique evolutionary histories and their sensitivity to climate change,” Akins said. “They serve as indicators of future changes that will eventually affect more tolerant species and, as such, make good models for conservation in a changing world.”

Scientists said they believe wolverines may start returning to the park due to confirmed sightings in the area and the suitable wilderness habitat.

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Cox Media Group