Rare Creature Sighted Across Oregon Highway, Officials Say
On April 6th, a rare creature was spotted crossing Highway 20 near Santiam Pass in Oregon. Wildlife officials have confirmed that the footprints belong to an animal.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
A rare creature last seen in the area in 1969 was recently spotted scurrying across an Oregon highway, a video shows.
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The animal was filmed April 6 crossing Highway 20 near Santiam Pass in the Central Cascades area, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said in an April 13 news release.
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Wildlife workers found the tracks and confirmed they belonged to a wolverine, which are rare in Oregon, officials said.
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A wolverine hasn’t been documented in the Central Cascades since one was killed by a trapper in 1969 near Broken Top Mountain, officials said.
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But in the past month, there have been several sightings of the elusive creature in Oregon.
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On March 20, two anglers first saw the bear-like animal running along the Columbia River near Portland. It was the first wolverine to be spotted outside the Wallowa Mountains in 30 years, wildlife officials said.
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A wolverine was seen again two days later in Damascus, a census-designated place about 15 miles southeast of Portland.
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“Based on timing, locations of the verified sightings and the trajectory of travel, it is possible that these sightings are of the same individual wolverine though it cannot be confirmed,” officials said.
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Wolverines can travel up to 30 miles a day. Officials said this wolverine is likely trying to find an area where it can survive and reproduce.
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Where are wolverines found?
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Wolverines are widely found in Alaska and Canada with smaller populations reported in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said.
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They are typically found in higher elevations and areas with snowpack, officials said.
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In Oregon, wolverines have been seen throughout the decades, even though it was believed they were gone from the state in 1936.
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The creature was spotted in Oregon from the 1960s to the 1990s in Linn, Harney, Wheeler, Deschutes and Grant counties.
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Three wolverines were also documented in northeastern Oregon during a monitoring project from 2010 to 2012, officials said. The most recent sighting of the animal was in Wallowa County in 2022.
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