Canadas rarest mammal, the Vancouver Island marmot, is making a strong recovery.
01/04/2007 00:00:00
VANCOUVER. It’s been a good year for Canada’s most endangered mammal, the Vancouver Island marmot. 30 Vancouver Island marmots will be returned to their natural habitat this summer and the world population of Vancouver Island marmots grew by at least 70 in 2006, there were just a few more than this in the world when the recovery program was fully implemented in 1998, which shows just how far they have come in 8 years! There were 4 successful litters born in the wild in 2006, plus 14 in captive breeding programs across Canada, according to the programs scientific advisor, Andrew Bryant.
The VI marmot population now stands at approximately 225 in total, with about 175 in captivity and roughly 50 in the wild, just 3 years ago there were less than 100 VI marmots left in the world.
The VI marmot population now stands at approximately 225 in total, with about 175 in captivity and roughly 50 in the wild, just 3 years ago there were less than 100 VI marmots left in the world.
‘This is simply a remarkable year in the survival story of the Vancouver Island marmot,’ Bryant added. ‘We also have had the first-ever litter of pups born to a pair of marmots who had been born in captivity, released back into the wild, hibernated, survived hibernation, and then mated and had their own pups.’
The completion of this life cycle shows that Vancouver Island marmots can be successfully reintroduced to the wild from captive breeding programs to form a viable population, if predators can be prevented from killing the marmots during the transition.
Seven separate groups of VI marmots are to be relocated to existing marmot burrows and habitat during the summer, says Malcolm McAdie, the MRF’s captive breeding specialist.
‘We are extremely fortunate this year to be celebrating the birth of 56 Vancouver Island marmot pups in the various captive-breeding facilities,’ McAdie said. ‘There were 31 born at the Tony Barrett Mount Washington facility, seven born at Mountain View Conservation Centre in Langley, BC and 18 pups born at the Toronto Zoo.’
‘This is the second year in a row we have had over 40 births in captivity, which is a major milestone in our recovery effort. With this success rate we have every chance of restoring a wild population to self-sustaining levels in the wild in the future,’ McAdie said. ‘Also, with this increased number of births, we have been able to increase the number we can release significantly to about 25 or 30, or more marmots a year. In fact, this year we will able release our first-ever family group back into the wild.’
The Foundation is implementing non-lethal methods of preventing predators such as wolves, cougars and golden eagles from killing the reintroduced marmots in the wild.
‘For the third year in a row, a variety of non-lethal methods are being used to protect the marmots, including human shepherds to scare away predators at one of the seven release sites, fencing and netting around marmot burrows at another site; and a trained hunting dog to help scare away cougars,’ Bryant said. ‘There is an enormous obligation to save the marmot from extinction but it must be done with the minimum effect on other species.’
Visit www.marmots.org for more information.
The completion of this life cycle shows that Vancouver Island marmots can be successfully reintroduced to the wild from captive breeding programs to form a viable population, if predators can be prevented from killing the marmots during the transition.
Seven separate groups of VI marmots are to be relocated to existing marmot burrows and habitat during the summer, says Malcolm McAdie, the MRF’s captive breeding specialist.
‘We are extremely fortunate this year to be celebrating the birth of 56 Vancouver Island marmot pups in the various captive-breeding facilities,’ McAdie said. ‘There were 31 born at the Tony Barrett Mount Washington facility, seven born at Mountain View Conservation Centre in Langley, BC and 18 pups born at the Toronto Zoo.’
‘This is the second year in a row we have had over 40 births in captivity, which is a major milestone in our recovery effort. With this success rate we have every chance of restoring a wild population to self-sustaining levels in the wild in the future,’ McAdie said. ‘Also, with this increased number of births, we have been able to increase the number we can release significantly to about 25 or 30, or more marmots a year. In fact, this year we will able release our first-ever family group back into the wild.’
The Foundation is implementing non-lethal methods of preventing predators such as wolves, cougars and golden eagles from killing the reintroduced marmots in the wild.
‘For the third year in a row, a variety of non-lethal methods are being used to protect the marmots, including human shepherds to scare away predators at one of the seven release sites, fencing and netting around marmot burrows at another site; and a trained hunting dog to help scare away cougars,’ Bryant said. ‘There is an enormous obligation to save the marmot from extinction but it must be done with the minimum effect on other species.’
Visit www.marmots.org for more information.