The Michigan state animal, the wolverine, has slowly been dying off, but there are signs of life thanks to findings at a national park.

Wolverines have slowly been becoming scarce, with the wolverine population in the lower 48 states estimated to be below 1,000. And the last Wolverine sighting of a live Wolverine in Michigan was in 2004. 

Scientists at Mount Rainier have discovered the first female Wolverine in that national park in over 100 years. And the best news of the findings, she has offspring with her, meaning there are mates for her in the wild.

“It’s really, really exciting,” said Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins told USA Today. “It tells us something about the condition of the park— that when we have such large-ranging carnivores present on the landscape that we’re doing a good job of managing our wilderness.”

The Cascades Wolverine Project has been working on revitalizing Wolverine habitats in the Northwest to bring the animal back.

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