Vancouver Island marmots released onto Mount Washington
The number of Vancouver Island marmots in the wild increased this week, with 10 of the critically endangered rodents released onto a Mount Washington ski run.
The Marmot Recovery Foundation, which breeds the animals in captivity in hopes of restoring the wild population, released six marmots on Tuesday and four more Wednesday morning.
"The idea right now is to get these marmots who have never been out in the wild before their first taste of life in the wild," said Adam Taylor, the foundation's executive director.
"Some of them will stay resident here and some of them will be trapped again next year and be moved to more remote locations in Strathcona Provincial Park."
In all, the foundation plans to release 25 of the captive-bred animals in 2022. Those plans have been made complicated by the colder-than-average spring, which has left snow on much of the terrain where the marmots typically live.
"There's some concern that this snow is burying the vegetation that these marmots that are emerging from hibernation," said Taylor. "That's what they rely on to eat."
The foundation has been supplementing the animals' food sources, and acknowledges that the marmots themselves have been a food source for hungry cougars.
"It's pretty deeply frustrating to be entirely honest," Taylor said. "Marmots are prey species. We know they're going to be eaten. We put a lot of sweat equity and heart equity into each one of these animals."
Vancouver Island University biology professor Jamie Gorrell has been studying the marmots with his team for the last few years. They've been working to compare the size of habitat required by wild-born marmots to that required by those bred in captivity.
He said the technique the team uses will likely be applicable to research on other species as well.
"We take a GPS location of where they are and then we combine GPS location data from the whole season to create an area map to see how much space the marmots use, or how much they move around over the season," Gorrell explained.
Initial results suggest that the marmots born in captivity require more space than those born in the wild.
"I guess it sort of implies that the marmots need time to get their bearings when they get put in a new location," Gorrell said. "They need to sort of survey the landscape to find out where they want to go."
With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Gord Kurbis
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.