High in the cloud-covered alpine meadows of Vancouver Island's Strathcona Provincial Park, a conservation success story is quietly unfolding. This landscape of boulder fields and windswept slopes is the only place on Earth where the Vancouver Island marmot — Canada's most endangered mammal — survives. And it is thriving again.

From 30 to 427

Back in 2003, fewer than 30 wild marmots were estimated to remain. The chocolate-brown, white-nosed rodent — about the size of a large house cat — was staring down extinction. Today, the population has surged to 427 individuals across 33 wild colonies, with about 120 more in conservation breeding programmes.

"People are often surprised when I say it, but this is one of the best examples of species recovery in the world," says Adam Taylor, executive director of the Marmot Recovery Foundation. "We've pulled this animal back from the brink — but we're not done yet."

Two Decades of Climbing Mountains — Literally

The recovery has been anything but easy. Field researchers and conservationists have spent over two decades hiking into remote alpine territory to monitor colonies, track individuals, and release captive-bred marmots back into the wild. The work is physically demanding, logistically complex, and requires extraordinary patience.

The breeding programme, run in partnership with the Toronto Zoo, Calgary Zoo, and Mountain View Conservation & Breeding Society, has been the backbone of the recovery. Captive-bred marmots are carefully prepared for wild release, and survival rates have steadily improved as researchers have refined their techniques.

Why It Matters

The Vancouver Island marmot's comeback is significant beyond its own species. It demonstrates that even the most critically endangered mammals can be brought back when science, funding, community support, and sheer determination come together over the long term.

The marmot also plays a vital role in its alpine ecosystem — its burrows aerate soil, its grazing shapes meadow plant communities, and it serves as prey for golden eagles and other predators.

"We Did This"

For the scientists and volunteers who have dedicated years to this work, the emotional weight of the achievement is immense.

"We did this. People did this," said one researcher, visibly emotional at a recent field update. "This animal was going to disappear from the face of the Earth, and now it's not. That's not luck — that's decades of people who refused to give up."

The Marmot Recovery Foundation continues its work, with the long-term goal of establishing a self-sustaining wild population that no longer needs human intervention. They're not there yet — but they're closer than ever. 🐿️💚🏔️

Source: Discover Wildlife / BBC Wildlife