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REMARKABLE YEAR FOR CANADA’S MOST ENDANGERED MAMMAL

July 24, 2006 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE VANCOUVER – It’s been a remarkable year for Canada’s most endangered mammals – the Vancouver Island marmot, the Marmot Recovery Foundation reported today. Thirty Vancouver Island marmots – will be returned to their natural wild mountain habitat west of Nanaimo this summer and the world’s population of Vancouver Island marmots grew by at least 56 this year, thanks to 14 successful litters in captive breeding programs across Canada, says MRF scientific advisor Andrew Bryant. The VI marmot count is now approximately 210 in total, including about 175 in captivity and about 35 in the wild, he said, noting that just three years ago there were less than 100 marmots left in the world in total. “This is simply a remarkable year in the survival story of the Vancouver Island marmot,” Bryant said. “We also have had the first-ever litter of pups born to a pair of marmots who had been born in captivity, released back into the wild, hibernated, survived hibernation, and then mated and had their own pups.” The completion of this life cycle demonstrates that Vancouver Island marmots can be successfully reintroduced from captive breeding programs to self-sustaining levels in the wild, if predators can be prevented from killing the marmots during the transition, Bryant said. “This is literally the little endangered animal that refused to die,” Bryant said. Seven different groups of the marmots are to be relocated to existing marmot burrows and habitat over the course of the summer, says Malcolm McAdie, the MRF’s captive breeding specialist. There will be three marmots released at Green Mountain; five at Gemini Mountain; four at Heather Mountain; six at Bell Creek; six at Butler Mountain; four at Big Ugly Mountain; and two at Mount Washington, near Courtenay. All came from the breeding programs designed to allow the endangered species to come back from the brink of extinction, he said. “We are extremely fortunate this year to be celebrating the birth of 56 Vancouver Island marmot pups in the various captive-breeding facilities,” McAdie said. “There were 31 born at the Tony Barrett Mount Washington facility, seven born at Mountain View Conservation Centre in Langley, BC and 18 pups born at the Toronto Zoo.” - 2 - “This is the second year in a row we have had over 40 births in captivity, which is a major milestone in our recovery effort. With this success rate we have every chance of restoring a wild population to self-sustaining levels in the wild in the future,” McAdie said. “Also, with this increased number of births, we have been able to increase the number we can release significantly to about 25 or 30, or more marmots a year. In fact, this year we will able release our first-ever family group back into the wild.” Bryant further said the Foundation is pleased to once again be implementing non-lethal methods of preventing predators such as wolves, cougars and golden eagles from killing the reintroduced marmots in the wild. “For the third year in a row, a variety of non-lethal methods are being used to protect the marmots, including human shepherds to scare away predators at one of the seven release sites, fencing and netting around marmot burrows at another site; and a trained hunting dog to help scare away cougars,” Bryant said. “There is an enormous obligation to save the marmot from extinction but it must be done with the minimum effect on other species.” Bryant pointed out that provincial Environment Ministry has the statutory authority and international legal obligation to protect the endangered marmots, while the MRF is responsible for the breeding program and reintroduction. 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 11,000 individual members of the public who have contributed to the Marmot Recovery Foundation. For more information contact: Malcolm McAdie at 250-714-5955 or Andrew Bryant at 250-754-1356 or Robert Huber, Marmot Recovery Foundation Executive Director at 604-408-5266 or Bill Tieleman, West Star Communications, at 604-844-7827 or cell 778-896-0964. Visit www.marmots.org for more information.

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