Wildlife is everywhere while on a ski resort and in the backcountry, and not just the basic birds and squirrels. Lucky skiers and snowboarders, depending on the mountain, might spot anything from moose to foxes, with bears and other larger wildlife sprinkled in the middle. Earlier this month, Heavenly was in the news for its multiple bear sightings, and Winter Park had a not-so-friendly moose wandering its trails last year. Animal sightings are certainly special, but they pale in comparison to this incredibly rare encounter posted to Instagram by Nick Gaddy.
Wolverines are pretty darn rare in the U.S. these days. While there’s somewhere between 15,000 and 19,000 in Canada, there’s estimated to be less than 300 in the lower 48 states (as of 2020). Habitat loss and trapping initially ripped the population to shreds, but global warming and backcountry explorers (snowmobiles, skiers, snowboarders, etc) are presenting the animals with a new challenge.
Despite years and years of effort, the wolverine remained unprotected by the Endangered Species act in the United States (mostly because of the healthy population in Canada). However, in late November of this year, U.S. officials announced that that would change. In the official document placing the animal on the list, backcountry recreation as an impact on the animals’ lives several times.
That’s not to say Gaddy’s experience makes him, or anyone who enjoys backcountry skiing, snowboarding, etc, a bad person. In this video it seems pretty evident that Gaddy wasn’t purposefully disturbing the wolverine, he just spotted it running away and took a quick clip. The main thing to keep in mind is this: if you see wildlife while out enjoying nature, leave it alone. Snap a picture or a video from far away, but don’t approach it. Definitely don’t purposefully startle it just to get a cool clip (just to be clear, it doesn’t seem like Gaddy startled this animal on purpose).
Image Credit: Nick Gaddy via Instagram