Vancouver Island (“Van Isle”) Violet has made her call! Six more weeks of winter, and Violet is keen to return to hibernation. See the moment with Dr. Malcolm McAdie here:
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Groundhog Day 2024: “Van Isle” Violet answers the call for West Coast Marmot Weather Forecasters
Its not your usual Groundhog Day ceremony. There are no proclamations (too loud) or holding marmots in the air. To get a Vancouver Island marmots’ take on winter takes a more delicate touch.
Vancouver Island Violet is a 3-year-old female Vancouver Island marmot, and she has a full-time job – the weather prognostication is a side hustle. As part of the captive breeding program, she plays a critical role in recovering her species population from the brink of extinction. She is just reaching adulthood, and still waiting to have her first litter of pups, who in turn would be released to wild to rebuild the fragile Vancouver Island marmot population.
In the meantime, she’s been providing the Marmot Recovery Foundation with Groundhog Day predictions. Her first prediction, made as a yearling in 2022, was six more weeks of winter, which proved to be accurate! It was extremely wintery right into June that year. Her second prediction last year was also more winter, which also proved to be accurate.
What will she predict this year?