Common name:<\/strong>\u00a0Wolverine, Eastern population Although the Wolverine is known as a clever trickster-hero and a link to the spirit world in First Nations\u2019 mythology, its eastern population may not have been able to find a way to stay in our earthly one.<\/p>\n For years, the eastern population of Wolverines was hunted for its frost-resistant fur, ideal for lining parkas, and its pesky habit of raiding hunters\u2019 trap lines made it vulnerable. Its population continued to decline as its main food source, the Caribou, failed in Labrador and Quebec and as humans continued to hunt it.<\/p>\n Today, the eastern population of Wolverines is one of the most misunderstood and least known of Canada\u2019s wild animals.<\/p>\n Michel Huot, chair of the Wolverine Recovery Team (Eastern Population) in Quebec, says the animal closely resembles porcupines, Fishers and even small bears, making it difficult to identify without a blood or tissue sample. \u201cThe first time I saw a Wolverine in a zoo,\u201d says Huot, \u201cI was sure it was a Fisher \u2013 and I had studied the animal extensively.\u201d<\/p>\n Although, there have been no verified reports of Wolverines in Quebec since 1978, and none in Labrador since the mid-1950s, there are unconfirmed reports every year. It is believed any remaining population is extremely small and, therefore, at high risk of extinction.<\/p>\n \u201cThis animal is very difficult to help,\u201d says Huot, \u201cbecause it is so rare in the vast, unpopulated areas of Quebec and Labrador.\u201d<\/p>\n The Wolverine\u2019s apparent lack of recovery despite the recent high local abundance of Caribou suggests that this population may already be extirpated. There is some possibility, however, of a small pocket of Wolverines in the Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, 200 km north of Quebec City, where there have been repeated sightings. If there is a population of Wolverines in that area, it is thought to be separate from the rest of the range.<\/p>\n Lack of habitat is not a problem for the eastern population of Wolverines, but a population that is too low to allow for natural recovery may be its single biggest challenge.<\/p>\n The Labrador Wolverine Working Group, formed in 2000, has agreed that natural recovery of the Wolverine is unlikely. Isabelle Schmelzer, ecologist with the Department of Environment and Conservation and member of the working group, says introducing wild caught Wolverines from Ontario, the nearest genetic group, may be the best option for Labrador.<\/p>\n In 2004, experts performed an aerial survey of 195,000 km2<\/sup>\u00a0of wilderness, but did not find any trace of Wolverines. Since 2003, the group has tried to collect hair samples of Wolverines with hair poles \u2013 poles wrapped in barbed wire and topped with carrion. No samples have been collected to date, but Schmelzer says there is great interest in the program and more poles will be deployed at the end of this winter when Wolverines should be hungriest.<\/p>\n The group has also been hosting public meetings and workshops requested by the Labrador Innu who were interested in learning about the Wolverine from those who had worked with it.Unfortunately, the aboriginals of the James Bay Agreement Management Group in northern Quebec are not interested in bringing the Wolverine back to their forests.<\/p>\n \u201cThey look at the Wolverine as another fur-bearer resource,\u201d says Huot. \u201cAs we indicate that the Wolverine won\u2019t be an important fur-bearer resource in the future because, naturally, the animal is rare and the skins are not of important value, they aren\u2019t interested in being involved with the return of the Wolverine.\u201d<\/p>\n The Wolverine Recovery Team did not meet in 2006, but Huot says they do hope to present another working plan to the aboriginals this year that will create interest in Wolverine recovery.<\/p>\n Species at Risk Registry (SARA)<\/a> This spotlight was written by\u00a0Melanie Furlong.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Malgr\u00e9 des observations non confirm\u00e9es \u00e0 presque chaque ann\u00e9e, il n’y a aucune observation v\u00e9rifi\u00e9e de cette esp\u00e8ce au Qu\u00e9bec ou au Labrador depuis environ 25 ans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":42414,"parent":39347,"menu_order":19,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-article.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-39709","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nLatin name:<\/strong>\u00a0Gulo gulo<\/em>
\nStatus under SARA:<\/strong>\u00a0Endangered,\u00a02014 COSEWIC assessment:<\/strong>\u00a0Endangered.
\nRange:<\/strong>\u00a0Labrador and Quebec (eastern population)
\nLife Span:<\/strong>\u00a017 years
\nSize:<\/strong>\u00a0Adult males weigh approximately 14 kg; females, 9 kg. Adult males are
\napproximately 1 m long, females are shorter.
\nPopulation Estimate:\u00a0<\/strong>Fewer than 50<\/p>\nThe Facts<\/h3>\n
\n
The Story<\/h3>\n
What is Being Done<\/h3>\n
What You Can Do<\/h3>\n
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Resources:<\/h3>\n
\nCOSEWIC Assessment\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n