Endangered Vancouver Island marmot population rebounds to 427

British ColumbiaWhen the Marmot Recovery Foundation first began releasing marmots into the wild in 2003, there were just 22 remaining.Marmot Recovery Foundation says it first released 4 of the beaver-like animals into the wild in 2003Nono Shen · The Canadian Press · Posted: Dec 01, 2025 3:43 PM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A volunteer for the Marmot Recovery Foundation on Vancouver Island holds one of the rodents in their hands. The Vancouver Island marmot is one of the most endangered species in Canada. (Ryan Tidman/Marmot Recovery Foundation)A foundation trying to save a critically endangered species is celebrating a marmot milestone.The Marmot Recovery Foundation announced on its social media page that the population of the Vancouver Island species has reached a new high of 427 marmots.When its team first began releasing marmots to the wild in 2003, there were just 22 remaining, and its statement says there was a lot of doubt that the species could be saved.It says when the group released the first four of the beaver-like animals into the wild 22 years ago, three of them were eaten by cougars within weeks.The foundation says the following year was better with seven marmots released. Two of them were the first to breed in the wild and survived for more than a decade.The Vancouver Island marmot is considered one of Canada’s most endangered species and the rodent has five distinct whistles or trills they use, more than any other species.WATCH | Marmots in B.C. are media darlings:Chonky marmot spotted in Kamloops, B.C.Taylor Borth tells CBC’s The National about #TheMoment she spotted an unusually large marmot at McArthur Island Park in Kamloops, B.C., and how it quickly gained its own fanbase on social media. The group says that while reaching more than 400 Vancouver Island marmots is a milestone, there is still a long way to go for their recovery.The Marmot Recovery Foundation was founded in 1998 with the goal of saving the animals from extinction through captive breeding, reintroduction and habitat restoration.