Espèce
As one of the world’s most menacés mammals, the Vancouver Island marmot teeters on the brink of extinction. Find out more about this species.
Project
In 2003, only 30 of these small, furry animals were thought to remain in the wild. A l'élevage de conservation program coupled with réintroduction efforts have improved those numbers significantly.
In 2005, Wildlife Preservation Canada funded research by former Noé de Conservation de la faune au Canada Diane Casimir into the reproductive behaviour of marmots, in order to inform and improve management techniques at l'élevage de conservation facilities. Using cameras placed within breeding enclosures, Diane was able to compare the behaviour of marmots from the breeding program with that of wild breeding pairs, using over 15,500 hours of observation. She also examined how management variables such age, the amount of time paired with a mate and visual contact with other pairs influenced production of young and litter size.
Results
Impact
Publications
Personnel du projet
Diane Casimir
Prior to starting her MSc degree, Diane Casimir was our Canada’s New Noah for 2000. She now works for the Parks Canada Agency on the National Species Conservation and Management Team, which provides advice and guidance to parks on species conservation issues with a focus on implementing Canada’s Species at Risk Act.