We run up Mt. Wolverine frequently. This is the first time I've ever actually seen a wolverine in the flesh. Running on an undisclosed trail, Tikko started barking. I could see a medium sized, black animal in the trail in front of him. I whistled him back with the emergency whistle, thinking it was that bane of our existence, the porcupine. But once I got over my reactiveness I realized the animal had moved much too fast, been darker and squater than a wolverine, and had the characteristic light blond ring of fur around it's back.
We were fairly certain it was a wolverine, but kept the dogs close as we headed up to an undisclosed pass. On the way up, we saw the wolverine again, heading straight up the side of this mountain, trucking it up to some bouldery area where it may have had a den. Like the tracks we saw this spring, it just headed straight up the steep mountain, no fear, agile and strong.
Wolverines are one of my favorite animals. They are shy, people don't know much about them, and yet it's been found recenlty that the fathers do visit their kids a few times every summer (not deadbeat dads like previously assumed). Mothers are devoted to their kits. Wolverines can travel great distances and are known for climbing up steep mountains just for the fun of it. They are also known as being extremely fierce. I didn't see this in the one we saw. Taking the word of hunters or trappers isn't super reliable. I'd be pretty angry if I was caught in a trap too. I can't blame a wolverine for trying to attack a trapper who is about to kill and then skin it.
Trapping, in my mind, is cruel and very outdated. I try to avoid taking my dogs to areas where there are traps or snares. Andrew's dog, Emma was caught it a snare out by Pt. Mackenzie. By the neck. She would have choked to death if he hadn't seen and removed her immediately, or if she had struggled more. Cruel, unnecessary. We are not living in a time when we need to trap. There is not reason to control predators here in wild Alaska. A skijorer on the Iditarod trail observed numerous non-target species caught in traps along the trail like grouse or squirrels. I can not and will not justify the carnage. I don't care what kind of reasons (subsistence) people give. If you are patrolling your trapline with a snowmobile and not a dogsled, if you ship in food from the lower 48 for the winter, have satellite TV, and heat your home with oil- you should not be trapping. Period.
To get back on track, wolverines are one of my favorite animals and I was so glad to see one close to home, thriving. They are doing well in Canada and Alaska but are under more stress in the lower 48, where habitat is more fragmented.
This was my first and possibly my only wolverine sighting and I am so glad I was able to experience it. Good dog, Tikko, for listening. I would not want him harassing these animals.
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