The expansive home range size and elusive nature of the wolverine has made this medium-sized carnivore one of the least understood mammals in North America.
Research conducted over the past two decades show wolverines avoid human-impacted areas and prefer mountainous landscapes protected from human influence. Locally, wolverines prefer remote and mountains areas located in the heart of Banff National Park.
While wolverine numbers are high within our national parks, only a few wolverines seem to persist just outside of these protected areas boundaries. For example, remote camera images of unique wolverine pelage/fur patterns found only one male to range throughout a vast area along the west side of the Kananaskis Country region.
Learn more about this elusive predator on Tuesday (Jan. 27), at 7:30 p.m. at the Banff Seniors Centre when Bow Valley Naturalists host an evening with Banff-based wolverine researcher Nikki Heim.
In collaboration with Dr. Tony Clevenger and as part of her M.Sc. in Environmental Science, Heim has been working to better understand the spatial distribution patterns of wolverines along the Canadian Rocky Mountains, inside and outside of our nationally protected areas.
Prior to her research efforts on wolverines, she has 10 years of experience working as a wildlife research assistant in regard to cougars, bears, badgers and lions.
