Mount Washington’s marmots have had a remarkable comeback, with a record number seen in the wild last year.
That’s from Sean Pendergast, chair of the Marmot Recovery Foundation, in the organization’s 2024 annual report.
He says there were 381 seen in their natural habitat last year, which may seem small, but is meaningful for a species that was once on the verge of extinction.
“I recall being on the field team in 2003, searching empty mountains for signs of marmots that no longer lived there. That year, we could only find 22 marmots. It is with that experience in mind that I celebrate this year’s numbers and the return of marmots to so many mountains from which they had been lost,” he says in the foundation’s annual report summary for 2024. “But I also know that our work is not yet complete. Our mission is to recover the species, and while 2024 has been a milestone year, we have further to go to achieve that goal.”
The marmots are one of only a few mammals exclusively native to Canada, and are the nation’s most endangered mammal. Thanks to breeding programs and re-introducing new creatures into the wild each year, their numbers have rebounded from only 22 observed in the wild in 2003.
This year, there are 40 marmots at the recovery centre on Mount Washington that are good candidates for release to the wild.
