Shock, excitement as second wolverine in 101 years seen in California

Shock, excitement as second wolverine in 101 years seen in California

A CAPS member who is an environmental scientist for the State of California, says a recent photo taken on Mammoth Mountain a few weeks ago captures a rarely seen wolverine.  Ryan Campbell was enjoying a ski day on the mountain with a friend and two strangers, and the foursome chatted as the lift carried them up the snowy slope. As they were talking, one of the strangers started. “Is that a wolverine?” he asked.

Campbell quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a long-range photo as the creature strolled up a large ski ramp. Suddenly, the animal took off.

“I am 99.9% certain that is a wolverine in the photo, which is pretty exciting!” Department of Fish and Wildlife senior environmental scientist – and CAPS member – Chris Stermer wrote in an email after seeing the picture.