Ever wonder what it’s like to see through a wolverine’s eyes, smell through a wolverine’s nose, and walk in a wolverine’s feet? Ever even heard of a wolverine? (Hint:  it is NOT a small wolf).  This Sunday night is your chance to get as close as you can to becoming a wolverine, by hearing fascinating stories and watching breath-taking footage of both wild and captive wolverines in Montana’s Glacier National Park and Alaska.  Whether you are a wolverine expert or neophyte, you are bound to learn a ton from this film and get very excited about this rare alpine carnivore of America’s western mountains (Hint:  it IS the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family).

Catch the first-ever extended look at wolverines airing on PBS this Sunday.

Most of us have never seen a good picture of a wolverine, let alone 60 minutes of beautiful footage of them and the adventurous researchers who do their best follow them through some of the wildest country in North America.  Here’s how the film producer Gianna Savoie describes the challenge of making this film:

“I knew from the start that this is an animal that needed its face out there and its story told.  I also knew that this would not be an easy feat.  First off, they are rare (numbering only a few hundred in the Lower 48 States).  Secondly, their habitat is remote and downright ferocious.   And finally, they move over vast distances at a constant clip – 20 miles in a day is nothing to a wolverine, despite their ten-inch legs!  It’s no wonder they are among the least studied – let alone filmed – animals on the planet.”

PBS Nature’s “WOLVERINE: Chasing the Phantom” will air Sunday, November 14th at 8pm (be sure to check your local listings). Don’t miss this first-of-its-kind footage of wolverines in the wild!

And after the show, go online to visit this brand new website www.wolverinenetwork.org that will connect you with the best information available on wolverines in the American West, and where you can sign up to receive free email updates of wolverine news and events. You can also find out what Defenders and other conservation groups are doing to protect important alpine habitat where the elusive wolverines can thrive.

For Gulo gulo!  (the scientific name for wolverines, which means “glutton glutton”)

Written by Dave Gaillard, Northern Rockies representative & wolverine expert

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