Utah biologists capture, collar and release wolverine for first time: “Once in a lifetime”

Utah scientists have captured, trapped and released a wolf for the first time, in what wildlife officials call a “once in a lifetime” event. Officials at the Utah Wildlife Resources Division said it was only the eighth confirmed wolf sighting in Utah since 1979.

“It’s amazing to have the opportunity to see a wolf in the wild, let alone catch one,” said Jim Christensen, director of wildlife in the northern DWR region. “This was a unique experience in life.”

Officials said that on March 10, a plane piloted by USDA-Wildlife Services personnel was flying over Rich County, Utah, when they noticed that an animal was feeding on a dead sheep. They flew a little closer and confirmed that the animal was a wolf.

The dead sheep was one of 18 sheep the wolf had killed or injured in the area that morning, officials said.

Three traps were set with parts of a sheep carcass, and on March 11, one of them caught the first wolf ever caught by state biologists.

Officials said the wolf was returned to his Ogden office, where he was sedated and examined. Biologists determined that the animal was a male between 3 and 4 years old. It weighed 28 pounds and was 41 inches long.

“The animal had good, sharp teeth,” Christensen said. “He was in very good condition.”

A GPS collar was placed around his neck before biologists moved him to the northern slope of the Uinta Mountains, where he was released on the evening of March 11.

Officials said GPS data will show when and where the animal travels, the size of its territory and the type of habitat it uses at different times of the year.

“Having a necklace on this wolf will teach us things about wolves in Utah that would be impossible to learn otherwise,” Christensen said. “In 2021, four different wolf sightings were confirmed in Utah. Last year we saw the same animal or different animals? Having a collar on this animal will help us solve this riddle.”

The unprecedented capture comes just days after a tour guide was able to photograph a wolf in Yellowstone National Park. “Without any other vehicle around, we were able to spend a full 3 minutes in the presence of this unique and rare animal,” he wrote.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, wolves are the largest terrestrial species in the weasel or weasel family. The group says that about 60% of the wolf habitat in the lower 48 states will be eradicated in the next seven decades due to climate change.

The federation says the rare animal also has a colorful variety of nicknames, such as forest devil, Indian devil, nasty cat and skunk bear.

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