There were only 22 marmots left in 2003 but thanks to a successful breeding program at Mount Washington, there are now 200.
Fifty-two marmots have spent the first year of their lives at the Marmot Recovery Foundation facility on Mount Washington.“It’s really exciting for us to get them out into the wild and part of this recovering population of this really incredibly rare and special species,” said Adam Taylor, the foundation’s executive director.
“Well, you feel like you’re part of history when you get to help reintroduce a marmot that’s been raised by so many people,” said Courtenay-Comox MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard, who carried one of the marmots. Since then, 576 Vancouver Island marmots have been released, and the wild population has climbed to approximately 200.
And then, finally, the moment everyone was waiting for. The first brave and curious marmot took a step outside, freedom for the first time.
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