Translocating Vancouver Island Marmots to Strathcona Park 2023

This project will support the transfer of between two and six Vancouver Island marmots from Mount Washington into Strathcona Park. These additions will help re-established colonies persist while future recovery efforts continue.

The marmot, which is federally designated as Endangered, is an endemic species that was extirpated from Strathcona Park in the 1990s. Reintroduction efforts have successfully established several marmot colonies in the park.

Update: Sixteen pups born in Strathcona Park in summer 2023

The Marmot Recovery Foundation counted 16 pups born into the Strathcona marmot population in summer 2023. It’s a significant increase from the previous summer, when only four pups were born in this group.

Climate conditions can have a big impact on endangered species recovery. Long term, it’s a good sign that this marmot population was able to recover from a challenging year in 2022 and introduce new pups to their numbers when conditions improved.