Rare Sighting of Wolverine Crossing Highway Reported in Oregon

Locals in Oregon reported seeing a wolverine crossing the highway, and authorities later confirmed the sighting.

The wolverine was spotted by the Columbia River close to Portland last month, which is the species' first confirmed sighting outside the Wallowa Mountains in three decades.

It is believed to be the same wolverine that was seen on video last week crossing US Highway 20 east of Santiam Pass, according to information released on Thursday by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Rare Sighting Confirmed

A video that was sent to the department after they asked about reports of a potential wolverine sighting near Hoodoo Ski Area or Suttle Lake was how Beth Quillian, an ODFW communications coordinator in Salem, confirmed the sighting of a wolverine outside of Sisters last week.

Later, she claimed that the video was recorded on Highway 20 last Thursday, east of Santiam Pass, and that it was later made available to the general public.

The small animal can be seen on the phone video scurrying down a hillside, kicking up some ice and snow before crossing a two-lane road and briefly pausing before continuing into the woods. It was never in danger from an approaching semi-truck.

Quillian added that on the day of the sighting, ODFW Deschutes District staff found tracks close to the location of the video.

ODFW hasn't been able to confirm the gender of the wolverine, according to Quillian.

Wolverine Sightings

ODFW and Cascadia Wild, a nonprofit surveying wolverine populations, have received several wolverine sighting reports over the past month.

The first report was made on March 20 by two fishermen on the Columbia River who took pictures of a wolverine on the bank of McGuire Island, according to the ODFW. Over the following few days, increased sightings were reported and confirmed in Colton, Oregon City, and Damascus.

The first sighting along the Columbia River in March 2023 was the first confirmed sighting of a wolverine beyond the boundaries of the Wallowa Mountains in more than three decades, according to Quillian. While they are unable to definitively identify the wolverine sighted by anglers from the Columbia River to the Cascades on March 20 as the same individual. Experts assumed this based on timing, points of verified sightings, and the trajectory of its travel that it is highly probable to be the same wolverine.

For a wolverine at this time of year, "exploratory" movements," or long-distance dispersal, are not unusual, and they can cover more than 30 miles in a day.

According to ODFW, this wolverine is likely to relocate to a new area based on its location, where it can survive, thrive, and hopefully breed. Wolverines require high-elevation habitats, such as alpine regions with a substantial amount of snowpack, but young wolverines frequently travel great distances to establish new lands.

These sightings of wolverines, which are uncommon in Oregon, are important for the preservation of wildlife.

Threatened Species

The eastern hills of the Cascade Range and the state's northeastern corner provide Oregon's best potential wolverine habitat.

Despite not being federally listed, wolverines are listed as "threatened" on Oregon's Endangered Species List, making it illegal to hunt or trap them, according to Oregon Wild.

A trapper killed the last known wolverine in the Central Cascades in 1969, close to Broken Top Mountain.

Although ODFW occasionally gets reports of wolverines, it claims that in the absence of proof such as tracks, it can be challenging to confirm a sighting.

To assist biologists in tracking specific sightings of wildlife, such as wolverines, the department recommends that sightings be shared on the iNaturalist app, KTVZ.com reports.