Judge orders federal protections for snow-loving wolverines

BILLINGS, Mont. — A federal judge says the Obama administration brushed over the threat of climate change to the snow-loving wolverine when it denied protections for the elusive predator also known as the “mountain devil.”

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen on Monday ordered wildlife officials to act as quickly as possible to protect the species as it becomes vulnerable to a warming planet.

Wolverines need deep mountain snows to den. Scientists warn that such habitat will shrink as the planet heats up.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the views of many of its own scientists in 2014 when it said the effects of climate change on wolverines remained ambiguous.

The case carries potential ramifications for other species, including the Pacific walrus and dozens of corals.