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6 OF CANADA’S MOST ENDANGERED ANIMALS – THE VANCOUVER ISLAND MARMOT – RETURNED SAFELY TO NATURAL WILD HABITAT

July 12, 2004 6 OF CANADA’S MOST ENDANGERED ANIMALS – THE VANCOUVER ISLAND MARMOT – RETURNED SAFELY TO NATURAL WILD HABITAT; 26 NEW PUPS BORN IN CAPTIVITY; NEW NON-LETHAL METHODS TO PREVENT PREDATORS INTRODUCED Six of Canada’s most endangered animals – the Vancouver Island marmot – have been safely returned to their natural wild mountain habitat west of Nanaimo, the Marmot Recovery Foundation reported today. And the world’s population of Vancouver Island marmots grew by 26 this year, thanks to successful litters in captive breeding programs across Canada, says MRF scientific advisor Andrew Bryant. The VI marmot count is now about 120 in total, including about 90 in captivity and 30 in the wild, he said. The six marmots, which were relocated to existing marmot burrows at Haley Lake on Thursday July 8, all came from the breeding programs designed to allow the endangered species to come back from the brink of extinction, says Malcom McAdie, the MRF’s captive breeding specialist. “We are extremely fortunate this year to be celebrating the birth of 26 Vancouver Island marmot pups in facilities in Toronto, Calgary, Langley and at the Tony Barrett Mt Washington Marmot Recovery Centre near Courtenay,” McAdie said. “With this success rate we have every chance of restoring a wild population to self-sustaining levels in the wild in the future. We should be able to release about 15 marmots a year.” MRF scientific advisor Rick Page said the Foundation is also pleased to have introduced experimental new non-lethal methods of preventing predators such as wolves, cougars and golden eagles from killing the reintroduced marmots in the wild. “For the first time we are utilizing a variety of non-lethal methods to protect the marmots, including human shepherds to scare away predators, fencing and netting around marmot burrows,” Page said. “We have an enormous obligation to save the marmot from extinction but we want to do so with the minimum effect on other species.” Bryant pointed out that the MRF is responsible for the breeding program and reintroduction but that the provincial ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection has the statutory authority and international legal obligation to protect the endangered marmots. Bryant said the return of the marmots to the wild and the captive births shows the importance of a partnership between the provincial and federal governments, the forest industry, universities, zoos, a private conservation centre and over 10,000 individual members of the public who have contributed to the Marmot Recovery Foundation. The MRF released exclusive film and photos of the relocation and protection methods today. For more information contact: Malcolm McAdie at 250-714-5955 or Andrew Bryant at 250-754-1356 or cell 250-618-2473 or Rick Page at 250-882-4308 or Bill Tieleman, West Star Communications, at 604-844-7827 or cell 778-896-0964. The six marmots released Thursday afternoon at Haley Lake were: Onslow : 2 year-old male born at Toronto Zoo in 2002 Newman: 2 year-old male born at Toronto Zoo in 2002 Dylan: 2 year-old male born at Calgary Zoo in 2002 Macumba: 2 year-old male born at Calgary Zoo in 2002 Haida: 2 year-old female born at Mountain View Farm (Langley) in 2002 Denai: 2 year-old female born at Mountain View Farm (Langley) in 2002

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