PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — For the fifth time in less than a month, a wolverine was spotted in Oregon. This time it was caught on camera.
Last week, on April 6, a wolverine was seen darting across Highway 20 near the Santiam Pass in the Central Cascades.
Although not confirmed, wildlife officials say the wolverine could be the same one that made headlines in March after being spotted along the Columbia River in Portland, Damascus, Oregon City and Colton.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife believes the wolverine may be on the hunt for a new place to call home.
“Long-distance dispersal or ‘exploratory’ movements are not irregular for a wolverine during this time of year,” said ODFW. “Based on the location, this wolverine is likely dispersing to a new area where it can survive and hopefully reproduce. Wolverines need high‐elevation habitat (alpine areas with dense snowpack) but young wolverines often disperse long distances to establish new territory.”
Following last month’s sightings, a wildlife expert from ODFW told KOIN 6 that a wolverine can travel up to 30 miles in a day, making it possible that within a week’s time, it had traveled to Colton from the Mt. Adams area in Washington.
“Covering the distance between the Columbia River and Colton in a few days would not be surprising,” she said.
The sighting near the Columbia River was the first confirmed report of a wolverine west of the Wallowa Mountains in over 30 years.
Video of the wolverine crossing the Santiam Pass Highway can be viewed in the player above.