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Third Portland-area wolverine sighting reported over the weekend

The creature was first caught on video on an island in the Columbia River last week, then again near Damascus a few days later.

PORTLAND, Ore. — It's been about a week since a wolverine was reportedly spotted along the Columbia River near Portland, and creature has apparently roamed quite a bit since then.

Colton resident Nina Baurer captured footage of what appeared to be a wolverine on video over the weekend and shared clips with KGW and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The two clips, captured Saturday morning, show the wolverine wandering around in a wooded area near Colton, then dashing off away from the trail camera that picked up the movement. 

Baurer also sent in pictures of what appear to be wolverine tracks in the light layer of snow that was on the ground in the area over the weekend.

Credit: Nina Baurer

The wolverine was initially seen on March 20 on McGuire Island, which is in the Columbia River to the north of Gresham. Two days later, there was another reported sighting near Damascus.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife posted a video of the second sighting last week, describing the "bushy tail, blackish-brown coat and pale brown stripe" along the side of the creature in the video as telltale markers of a wolverine.

Wolverines are part of the weasel family and resemble badgers or small bears. Despite their reputation for ferocity, there is no documented evidence of them attacking people, according to Dave Keiter, a biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Wolverine sightings in Oregon are rare outside of the Wallowa Mountains. The initial photos of the wolverine on McGuire Island were described as the first confirmed Portland-area sighting in about 30 years.

Wolverines have only small populations in the lower 48 states, and are more commonly found in Alaska and Canada, according to Keiter. In a later tweet, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said wolverines generally prefer high-elevation alpine areas, but young wolverines can roam across wide areas.

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