Great news from the mountains this fall: pup counts are much higher than last year at this time! So far this year, we have counted at least 7 litters and 16 pups in Strathcona Park alone – and we expect to find more before we’re done! At the same time in 2022, we had only 1 litter of 4 pups in Strathcona.
Last year was challenging for marmots. Extreme late spring snows made it difficult for marmots to find food and recover body condition coming out hibernation. We believe that poor start made it difficult for adults to successfully raise a litter of pups. The silver lining was that the adults were able to survive, despite the weather, and seem to have bounced back this year!
Endangered species recovery is never a smooth road. Many of the factors that determine whether the marmots, and other species at risk will have a good or bad year are far beyond our control. The weather isn’t going to be good every year. But it is a hopeful sign when a species can recover quickly, and we are delighted to be hearing the whistles and keaws of young marmots in the mountains again.