“I am the best at what I do and what I do isn’t very nice” Any fan of marvel comics will recognise this quote! With a reputation for strength and ferocity, stocky and muscular, and renown for speed, stamina and durability it is of course Marvel comics character “The Wolverine”.

Exmoor zoo is incredibly pleased to announce that you can now see the creature the inspiration for this character came from. One of very few in the UK, and part of a European breeding programme a female from the Scottish Highland Wildlife Park is now at home on Exmoor. Curator Danny Reynolds said: “Despite their strength and ferocity their numbers and distribution are declining in the wild. Habitat fragmentation and hunting take their toll and unlike their Marvel counterpart, something that even these resilient creatures have no defence against, global warming and climate change is now having the most impact”

A European studbook maintained by Norden’s Ark in Sweden (one of the native range countries for the wolverine) allowed Exmoor Zoo to join the breeding program. “Tovi” our female wolverine has now settled into the enclosure and can be glimpsed in the bushes watching our visitors from the security of her hideaway. She is happy on her own as this is exactly how it would be in the wild but a companion will eventually arrive but he may not get here until autumn 2022.

In the wild wolverine avoid people and they tend to be active when the top predator (us) is not in their environment. An amazing animal, bigger than our badger (the same scientific family Mustelidae), capable of climbing trees with ease and of killing and eating animals 2 to 3 times its size! The wolverine is a unique animal, extremely difficult to see or find, living in remote and inhospitable terrain in the wild making any sightings ghostlike and special. “Tovi” is not an easy animal to see or observe even in her enclosure (patience is required) like the wild scenario!

wolverine in the snow

See more from Exmoor Zoo

Enjoy a day out Exmoor Zoo, one of the “West-country’s hidden gems” on the edge of the National Park. Here you can experience a truly unique rural zoo set into a valley in North Devon. Discover rare and unusual animals seldom found in other zoos like Sand Cats, Binturong and…