Elusive creature is spotted in ‘rare’ sighting — then is seen two more times in days
An elusive bear-like creature has been making “rare” appearances across northwestern Oregon cities in the past year.
More recently, the animal popped up in a coastal city, then appeared two more times in only a matter of days, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a March 25 Facebook post.
Wildlife officials confirmed it was a wolverine — a federally protected animal that has been ruled as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
The wolverine was first spotted March 10 in Nehalem, wildlife officials told McClatchy News. Then again five days later in Netarts.
The animal continued to make its way south down the coastline to Newport, where it was seen March 21, officials said.
Wildlife officials said it’s likely the same wolverine.
Despite the recent sightings of the wolverine in northwestern Oregon, officials said “it doesn’t mean we’re going to have a wolverine population set up shop anytime soon” because the animals typically travel across landscapes as they search for a home.
Past sightings
A wolverine was also spotted in February dashing away from Oregon Route 99E in Barlow, McClatchy News reported.
There were also a few sightings of the animal in 2023.
One wolverine was caught on camera running along the Columbia River near Portland on March 20, 2023, and then again in Damascus, two days later.
It was spotted again April 6, 2023, crossing Highway 20 near Santiam Pass in the Central Cascades area.
“Based on timing, locations of the verified sightings and the trajectory of travel, it is possible that these sightings are of the same individual wolverine though it cannot be confirmed,” officials said last year.
Where are wolverines found?
Wolverines are widely found in Alaska and Canada, with smaller populations reported in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said.
There are about fewer than 400 wolverines in the lower 48 states, which makes these wolverine sightings in Oregon rare, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Wolverines are typically found in higher elevations and areas with snowpack, officials said.
In Oregon, the animals have been seen throughout the decades, even though it was believed they were gone from the state in 1936.
There have been wolverine sightings in Oregon from the 1960s to the 1990s in Linn, Harney, Wheeler, Deschutes and Grant counties.
Three wolverines were also documented in northeastern Oregon during a monitoring project from 2010 to 2012, officials said, and there was another sighting of the animal in Wallowa County (northeastern Oregon) in 2022.
What to know about wolverines
Although wolverines look like small bears, they belong to the weasel family, according to Oregon Wild, an environmental organization.
The animals typically weigh between 30 and 55 pounds and have thick, blackish-brown coats.
“Some have a distinct silver face mask and stripes running from their shoulders to their rump along their sides,” the organization said.
They also have round ears, small eyes, a humped back, short legs and a “bushy” and drooping tail, according to Oregon wildlife officials.
This story was originally published March 25, 2024 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Elusive creature is spotted in ‘rare’ sighting — then is seen two more times in days."
