‘That’s not a dog’: Man spots wolverine while on his lunch break

Brandon Oswald captured video of a wolverine running through a field in Barlow on Monday. (Source: KPTV)
Published: Feb. 27, 2024 at 11:15 AM EST

BARLOW, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) – A man taking his lunch break in Oregon came across a rare sight when he spotted a wolverine running around.

Brandon Oswald captured video of the animal running through a field in Barlow on Monday.

“At first I thought it was a dog, and then I saw how it was running and I thought that’s not a dog, and I honestly didn’t know what it was,” Oswald said. “The way that it ran was pretty different than anything I’ve seen, it was almost running like you see a bear would run.”

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed that it was a rare sighting of a wolverine.

“I’m glad I filmed it, because I definitely have never seen a wolverine before,” Oswald said.

ODFW officials are unsure if the wolverine is new to the area, but they suspect it may be the same one that ventured to western Oregon months ago.

Wolverines are widely found in Canada and Alaska, but there is also a small population in eastern Oregon.

Last year was the first time a wolverine had been spotted outside the Wallowa mountains in over 30 years, officials said.