He had only five seconds to shoot a once-in-a-lifetime photo, and it ended up going viral on social media.
Gordon Cooke, a Calgary resident with a passion for wildlife and nature photography, was out looking for ospreys to photograph over the weekend.
He was hiking up a hill just outside the city when he heard something “clash and bang” at a marsh nearby. He went to check out the commotion when he saw a wolverine running out of its den.
“I thought it was a porcupine at first. I saw the white fur but then realized it was too fast and too big to be a porcupine,” Cooke told Global News.
“All of a sudden he ran out into the open and that’s how I got a few shots.”
Wolverines are bear-like creatures and are the largest member of the weasel family. However, they are considered endangered because of the destruction of forests due to development, forestry and road creation.
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Cooke said he was in awe when he saw the wolverine and the only thought that ran through his head was whether the settings on his camera were correct.
“Seeing a wolverine in the wild is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, to photograph one is beyond my imagination,” he said.
“It went by really fast. As soon as it realized I was a human, it took off.”
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