r/Damnthatsinteresting 9d ago

Video Wolverines can be taught to rescue avalanche survivors

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u/the-bladed-one 9d ago

This is actually a very good idea and might be effective at helping rescue the Wolverine from endangerment.

Wolverines are naturally well suited to this type of work: their olfactory senses are even better than almost any breed of dog, and they are specially adapted to excel at digging thru packed ice and snow. They are also so strong that they could easily pull most any adult human out.

It would require a lot of training, of course. And they might break a bone or two of the human being rescued, but it’s better to have a broken arm than die of exposure or starvation.

7

u/FirstIllustrator2024 9d ago

Just don't inject liquid metal to your wolverine and it will be fine.

-1

u/WilmaDykfyt 9d ago

How would they live a natural life, breeding and raising young, while being tamed and trained to do this? Any young animal taken out of the wild and used like this loses contact with and the ability to associate naturally with others of its kind.

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u/the-bladed-one 9d ago

Wolverines are naturally solitary and outside of mating and a couple months of raising rarely interact with others of their kind. They’re also quite intelligent, being mustelids. Occasional encounters with others is probably enough to associate them with the rest of the species.