Are Wolverines dangerous? Rare animal sighting in Yellowstone National Park captured in viral video

As per recent reports, there has been a rare sighting of a wolverine in the Yellowstone National Park of the United States. The Modesto Bee reports that a group of tourists at the national park on Saturday, March 5, spotted the carnivorous mammal and photographed and filmed it.

The group was reportedly touring the park with a private eco-tour agency Yellowstone Insight, which also posted the photograph on their Facebook page. The group’s member Carl Kemp, who filmed and posted a YouTube video of the sighting, told Modesto Bee:

“As soon as it turned, we realized we were in the middle of a once in a lifetime experience.”

MacNeil Lyons, the tour guide helping the team, took to the Facebook page of Yellowstone Insight to share the experience. Lyons narrated the sighting and said that the group was elated to see the “elusive animal.”

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What was said about the Wolverine sighting, and why is it a rare occurrence?

In his Facebook post, MacNeil Lyons mentioned that it was around 11:38 am when they spotted the animal. At the time, the group initially thought it to be a young black bear. However, once the mammal turned towards them, “there was no mistaking that the animal was indeed, a Wolverine!”

According to Lyons, the group spent three minutes in the animal’s presence. Meanwhile, CNN reported that this was the first time the tour guide spotted the rare animal in his two decades at Yellowstone National Park.

The rare occurrence is an exciting event as the US National Park Service reported that only seven wolverines had been recorded in the eastern Yellowstone National Park from 2006 to 2009. At the time, they had documented two females and five males.

Furthermore, the animal is extremely rare in the USA owing to its potentially dwindling population and territorial nature. As these mammals rely on snow to burrow and raise their young ones, global warming has affected snowfall and influenced their lifestyle.

Meanwhile, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which initially considered the species as “threatened,” has now changed its stance. However, in 2016, a federal judge asked the agency to reconsider citing the wolverines as an “endangered species.”

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Do wolverines pose any danger to humans?

While wolverine population is seemingly dwindling, they are considered to pose danger to humans. These animals are very territorial, which in turn causes them to be quite aggressive towards humans, who may wander into their territory.

The animal has semi-retractable two to three inches of sharp claws, which can critically injure or even kill a person. With a weight between 22lbs to 70lbs and a height of around three feet, the mammal can often overpower most animals and humans of short stature.

They can also run upto 30 mph, which can aid in their aggressive attacks. According to AZ Animals, wolverines also have strong jaws and teeth, which can have a bite force of 50 PSI, which can also harm humans.

However, despite the dangers they pose, reports of their attacks on humans are very rare. Like most animals, these solitary mammals are unlikely to attack humans unless provoked or threatened.