Watch as furry wolverine babies cuddle in den at Montana zoo. ‘So tiny and sweet’
Two furry wolverine babies are seen in a video snuggling in a straw-filled den at a Montana zoo just weeks after they were born.
The two kits were born Jan. 31 at ZooMontana in Billings, making them the first wolverines to be born at this zoo, according to a March 7 news release.
Animal caregivers first found the babies nursing in a hollowed-out log, the zoo said. They were born all white and weighing less than a pound, the zoo said.
They were also born temporarily unable to see, as all wolverine kits are at first.
The babies, now mostly dark brown, are seen lightly tussling and snuggling in the zoo’s video.
“So tiny and sweet,” one person commented.
Wolverine births at zoos are rare because they “require cold weather, solitude and compatibility,” which can be difficult to achieve at a zoo, ZooMontana executive director Jeff Ewelt told McClatchy News by email.
But despite these factors, two healthy wolverines were born.
Their parents, Sid and Ahmari, came to the zoo in 2017, Ewelt said. Both parents are 7 years old and have never had children before.
They were brought to the zoo through a partnership with the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Sid is from Sweden and Ahmari is from Norway, the zoo said.
“Breeding of Wolverines is important for genetic diversity, so if, and when animals are released into the wild, we can do so with a viable and new genetic line,” Ewelt said.
The two wolverine kits may be ready to be seen by the public in a month, Ewelt said.
“Once the babies get rambunctious, mom should be pretty comfortable letting them explore the habitat,” he said.
The kits will wean around 10 weeks old and grow to full size by the end of this year, the zoo said. Once they become independent of their mom, they will likely be moved.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Watch as furry wolverine babies cuddle in den at Montana zoo. ‘So tiny and sweet’."
