Species
As one of the world’s most endangered 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 conservation breeding program coupled with reintroduction efforts have improved those numbers significantly.
In 2005, Wildlife Preservation Canada funded research by former Canada’s New Noah Diane Casimir into the reproductive behaviour of marmots, in order to inform and improve management techniques at conservation breeding 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