The wolverine is being explored for its utility in avalanche rescue scenarios due to its excellent sense of smell. Zefram photo via Wikipedia.
According to VICE news, a pair of Alaskans – Mike Miller and Steve Kroschel – are exploring the possibility that wolverines could replace dogs in searching for buried avalanche victims. Miller is founder of the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and believes that the wolverine's superior sense of smell compared to a dog, their ability to scale mountainous terrain, and their ferocious digging talents all lend them serious potential as avalanche rescue animals. Of course, you have to train them not to kill the victim once they dig them out. Details, ya know?
Wolverines are a uniquely wild animal, and so having them mate in captivity, and be familiar and warm with humans from birth so their instinct isn't to kill them with jaws that match the power of a grizzly's, is a daunting challenge.
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Miller was originally inspired by a local incident in which an Iraqi veteran was buried in an avalanche while snowboarding in the backcountry. His mother sat in the same spot on a local hill every day for three months while search and rescue crews tried to find her son, and the experience inspired him to find a better solution to victim location and recover.
Read the full article at VICE news.
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stash member Ryan Dunfee
Former Managing Editor at Teton Gravity Research, current Senior Contributor, current professional hippy at the Sierra Club, and avid weekend recreationalist.