By Grant Warkentin
Locals are helping track down a wild Vancouver Island marmot who’s taken a liking to the waterfront.
On Sunday the Marmot Recovery Foundation shared a photo asking for help from locals in the Shelter Point area south of Campbell River to track down the wayward creature, which has been eluding capture.
“We were able to locate it, but not successfully trap it,” said the foundation in a social media post. “We would very much like to get this marmot back to appropriate habitat (after a thorough health assessment). It is likely a two-year-old that dispersed from its natal colony, and took a wrong turn somewhere.”
The marmots, Canada’s most endangered mammal, live exclusively in high altitudes around Mount Washington and near Nanaimo. They usually stay near their alpine colonies, but in this case, a young male decided to go exploring.
The foundation says the missing marmot was wild-born and is untagged. It was originally spotted several days ago.
The Vancouver Island marmots are different from the yellow-bellied marmots common in the BC Interior, which have made their way to the Island in the past as stowaways in travellers’ vehicles. They are visually distinct from the unique local species.
The recovery foundation welcomes help from any locals who spot the missing marmot in the meantime, as they try to catch it and bring it back up the mountain. Visit marmots.org/observer-program/ to report a sighting.
Featured image: The missing marmot spotted on the shoreline south of Campbell River. Photo by Sue and Terry N. Via the Marmot Recovery Foundation / Facebook
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