St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-08-30
The Wolverine,
A FEROCIOUs ANIMAL THAT 1rvpe o,,

3 A FERoCIoUs ANIMAL THAT Irvrs or,1,
IN THE NORTH WOODS OF MICHIGAN.
Mich1gan is called the Wolverine State
49, uon believe there are two dozen
persons outside of that State that kno11
what wolverine is, " said native Of tIa
oreen bay region. ''For that matter Tho
people IN Michigan itself who can taii
you what wolverine is are mioltv
. .oaise. why this animal should be 5ar,
Jsouiarly resident of the Michigan viii
uetn1ss 10 not know; but | never baard
III IL oelng seen or heard of elsewhere
~ Inc wolf is common animal XII ovor ~
west, or at leastsit was before civ;1;1a. ;ne
limited its habitat, and the black baar ~
also found everywhere in greater or 1ass
NUMBERS Then why should the wolver1
ne me only have made its appearance in
michigan, where it was in the nionaar
oays as plenty almost as the wolf and
oven now Is dreaded frequenter of the
", WOODS OF the northern part of the State
- 10 wolVerlne IS an animal that has some
t 81 characteristics of the wolf, and par
s sahes 10 -, o1her ways of the nature of the
bear. The old settlers of Micbioan VI
ways insisted that the animal was q craaa
between those two beasts, and that is 10
opinion OF north Michigan woodsmen to-
gay. When Michigan was admitted into
the mon the wolverine was still COM
e mon' III TACT infested all the forests of the
oOe'o' anu Inc State was named after him |
~. u"lns 10 some OF the characteristics ~
'le animal admired by the hardy pioneers
WHO neWeo commonwealth out of tho
great wilderness they found abont tba;o Ia
inland sea- ooo' tnelr y: =:
1T is singular fact that NO mnson,n id
u zcologlcal garden has ever vet had . fl
'peclmen OF this unique member of tho m
ll IN Kingdom say it is singular, and ia
uo not Know that it is either, for the of
eason mat they never exhibited the VOL 81
ellne is the great difficulty, not to saw an
apossloillty, OF capturing it alive or of an
o1ping IL awe after it is captured. They be
so .ne ugly temper of the wolf, which ~
10y resemble IN appearance, but in size no
40 savageness they resemble the baa, '' &c th
le Western Businesses. But while bauino. thu
10 SIZE and savageness of the bear. thae1 da1
1'ol INN IN aggressiveness and ferocitv jus
ney 90 not have his clumsines Tba;r cas-
olnsh appearance makes the fact that life
10y are expert and agile tree climbers chs
EN- odd. In lying in wait for their nrev the
ey also resemble the panther, for they the
II crouch closely in the branches ~ aga
F TBS OF ia tree and drop down upon Their
'tlm like one of those great memhors ~
9 cat family. u
':;Ihey will attack man in this wav &c T
IDLY as they wonld fawn, and manv viii
uanWary hunter in the Michigan woods pres
!, lallen victim to some hungry and Afri
discriminating wolverine. The claws out
!hls strange animal are much LONGER fibre
sharper than the bears and the;- taeth fiber
ger and more pointed and curved bris1
elr wariness is said by hunters to s~ bling
that of any animal on the cont;nen+ teetl
tn y are seldom hunted for the snort
ne thing, the danger being to ereat Fr
10y "nen wolverine has made his spiri
'ence so destructive to the pastures and abou
epfolds of the backwoods farmers that spect
entire loss of their stock is feared that Poet.
farmers organize for raid on the VOL kee 7
mes, usually employing a number Of =
,rt and daring woodsmen to direct the A
T, cant see for myself what the N
GERS of Michigan saw in this animal w
sfpetuate its memory by nicknamine IL
State after it, but the name is thers II.
michigan will remain the Wolverine
long after the wolverine is extinct" Fl
no York San. o''