GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) – Researchers are working on a plan to study wolverines in four Rocky Mountain states to see if the animals that look like small bears with big claws can be reintroduced to some regions to boost their numbers and see how they might travel between mountain ranges.
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington state are working together because there are so few wolverines and they are spread across a wide area, a researcher with Montana’s wildlife agency said.
“It doesn’t occur that often that four states start to think about managing a species together,” said Bob Inman, carnivore and fur bearer coordinator for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
The study is expected to begin next winter, using trail cameras to capture images and copper brushes to collect DNA when the animals pass by.
Wolverines are rarely seen by humans and roam in deep snow and steep terrain. There are now up to 300 in the four states.