Previous record for wild-born Vancouver Island marmots was 75 in 2011
A record-breaking number of wild-born Vancouver Island marmot pups have been recorded so far this year, and according to the Marmot Recovery Foundation, that number is expected to climb by year's end.
Vancouver Island marmots have litters of one to five pups every other year, taking a break on the interm years to recover from the taxing birthing process. As a result, Taylor said he wouldn't be surprised by a birthing drop next year, but cautioned that may not be the case since 2023 had 60 pups born, causing the foundation to believe this year would experience a drop.
Once born, the pups still have to compete with a series of threats. Taylor estimates that about 20 to 25 per cent of the pups will survive long enough to reach maturity. "What we're seeing in the mountain meadows is that the vegetation is still very lush and green, it still looks like it's in good condition – which is fantastic. We were really worried after that little snowfall that we had last winter that the meadows would dry up by the time snow arrived and that could pose a problem for all the marmots."
To combat this, the foundation is planning tree removals later this year to prevent tree growth from creeping in, effectively giving the marmots a leg up.
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