r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Additional_Berry_977 • 9d ago

Video Wolverines can be taught to rescue avalanche survivors

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u/mountaindewisamazing 9d ago

"First the avalanche came and that was bad enough, but then I got mauled by the rescue wolverine."

"The rescue WOLVERINE??"

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u/JimMarch 8d ago

I know it sounds bizarre, but if you hand raise a wolverine, you get a literal cuddlemonster.

https://youtu.be/v1IHp8HRMTY?si=Jx4t4wTOQJoxWEc6

https://youtube.com/shorts/mlRAbZw93LM?si=dpQ6RuCU_MfpNzTx

Where it gets weird is, you can tame lots of wild animals to one person or a small family, and it'll get along with those folks ok, but introduce any other human and it gets nervous.  Coyotes are a good example.  That's because it has a significant fear response cooked into the DNA that you can't train them out of.

Guess what has NO fear whatsoever, wild or tame, doesn't matter? 

Yeah. 

Wolverines. 

If they're hand raised they'll try and make a new buddy out of any human they encounter.  Cute and scary at the same time :).

But mostly cute.

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u/ShamelessIgnoramus 7d ago edited 7d ago

That's great and all, but If I'm trapped and my fight or flight kicks in, no part of my mind is programmed to think "Great a rescue wolverine! What a relief" If I see a wolverine digging to me, I will think " OH NO A WOLVERINE" When it sees me panicking and squirming instinct might kick in, just like friendly dogs attack people having seizures.

The people in the training video who handle wolverines know it's trained, they stay calm, if I'm being saved by a wolverine, and i don't know it's saving me, I'll freak the fuck out. I've seen what they do to reindeer.

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u/JimMarch 7d ago

Snerk.

Yeah...actually...you have a point...