Researchers in recent decades have hardly seen wolverines on their own in the Cascade Mountain Range.
But for several years running, the Cascade Carnivore Project has documented a wolverine researchers named Joni on game cameras with her kits. After two years of twins, the relentless single mother this year emerged from the winter with not one or two babies, but three young, carnivorous creatures.
“Joni is a mama again, and this time it’s TRIPLETS!” the Cascade Carnivore Project wrote in a Facebook post. “Cascades Carnivore Project Field Crew Lead, Heather Rolph was rewarded with an exciting discovery on her third day of our summer field season. Joni, a wolverine mama living in and around Mount Rainier National Park had birthed kits for the fourth year in a row, and this year it's triplets!”
A nonprofit of scientists who work with the National Park Service, the project has helped with conservation of Cascade red foxes and wolverines at Mount Rainier and throughout the South Cascades. The group also studies lynx species in Canada, among other projects.
According to previous reporting by The Chronicle, when she was discovered in 2019, Joni was only the second female wolverine documented in Washington’s South Cascades in modern times. Her DNA, from hair samples collected at several wolverine monitoring stations, confirmed she is part of the recovering wolverine population in Washington and that she did not disperse from a neighboring state, according to a previous news release.
Photos accompanying the post about Joni with her kits were captured by a remote trail camera in May of this year and were recovered earlier this month, the post said.
The post continued: “Know that these discoveries and the maintenance of wolverine monitoring stations are possible thanks to your donations! Cascades Carnivore Project donors, as always, THANK YOU for supporting our work!”
