The Wilder Institute in Calgary recently welcomed 17 Vancouver Island marmot pups, and now people can help name them before they come to the Island.
The Wilder Institute’s Archibald Biodiversity Centre is part of the Calgary Zoo and part of ongoing efforts to restore the critically endangered Vancouver Island marmot population. Pups born there will be transferred to the Marmot Recovery Centre to spend the winter, before being released into the wild next summer.
The Wilder Institute is giving people a chance to help pick names for the new pups. There are two choices: a group of names based on bodies of water on and near Vancouver Island, or Vancouver Island grasses and plants.
Voting is open until noon on August 29, follow this link to review the options and make your choice.
Vancouver Island marmots are Canada’s most endangered mammal, and they live on and around Mount Washington. The population has recovered since 2004, when fewer than 30 animals remained in the wild. Now, although still critically endangered, there are nearly 300 animals living on 20 mountains on the Island.
