A Vancouver Island marmot is back in custody after hitting the trail, most likely looking for love.

Vancouver Island marmots are few and far between, so it乌鸦传媒檚 no surprise that Camas, a young male originally released last year on Gemini Mountain, southwest of Nanaimo, didn乌鸦传媒檛 hang around long when he discovered his prospects of finding a mate were slim to none.

At least that乌鸦传媒檚 a theory Adam Taylor, executive director of the Marmot Recovery Foundation, is working with to to explain why Camas went walkabout.

Camas was bred and raised in captivity at the Calgary Zoo as part of a recovery effort to raise the species乌鸦传媒� population, which the foundation estimates is about 200.

Marmots are tracked via radio signals emitted from tiny surgically implanted radio transmitters, which within the limitations of the technology, give a sense of the animals乌鸦传媒� movements. Taylor said after being released on Gemini Mountain, Camas almost immediately headed over to nearby Green Mountain.

乌鸦传媒淭here he encountered another marmot and he settled down, hibernated there, and we really thought this was going to be his home,乌鸦传媒� Taylor said. 乌鸦传媒淎nd then, this spring, we were having a really hard time pinning him down 乌鸦传媒� we couldn乌鸦传媒檛 figure out why and then, [July 5], we got a report from a fellow in Errington saying I乌鸦传媒檝e got this marmot in my backyard and sent us a couple of pictures and, sure enough, there乌鸦传媒檚 this Vancouver Island marmot in their backyard.乌鸦传媒�

The foundation immediately sent a team which trapped the marmot in a neighbouring backyard, ending a journey that started about May 29, which was the last time researchers had caught a radio signal. Taylor said the foundation team wasn乌鸦传媒檛 sure the marmot they乌鸦传媒檇 caught was Camas until they were able to check his ear tags.

乌鸦传媒淪o, 30-plus kilometres from his home 乌鸦传媒� that乌鸦传媒檚 a straight-line distance 乌鸦传媒� he乌鸦传媒檇 wandered through the mountains to end up in somebody乌鸦传媒檚 backyard乌鸦传媒ξ谘淮�媒� Taylor said. 乌鸦传媒淎s to why he took to roaming, we don乌鸦传媒檛 have a positive answer for you because I can乌鸦传媒檛 ask him, but there乌鸦传媒檚 a pretty decent idea. He乌鸦传媒檚 a young male and young males often disperse from their natal colonies looking for mates.乌鸦传媒�

Taylor said if the other marmot on Green Mountain was the same sex or if another adult male had moved into the area and started to mate with the only female there, that would leave Camas with pretty slim prospects for reproducing, so it乌鸦传媒檚 not surprising that he would move on.

乌鸦传媒淲hat is surprising is they don乌鸦传媒檛 get lost more often,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淵ou have to imagine, Vancouver Island marmots are still phenomenally rare on the landscape. We乌鸦传媒檝e got a couple hundred of them, total, in the wild and they乌鸦传媒檙e stretched over this really vast landscape 乌鸦传媒� living in these small meadows on the tops of mountains 乌鸦传媒� Camas went the wrong way and just kept going.乌鸦传媒�

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It乌鸦传媒檚 also surprising, Taylor said, that the marmot descended to such a low elevation, although it has happened before. Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre students found one on a beach there, while another was found in a rock quarry near Nanaimo.

乌鸦传媒淚 know 30 kilometres doesn乌鸦传媒檛 sound like much, but this terrain, these are pretty serious up-and-down mountains, so he covered a lot of ground really fast乌鸦传媒ξ谘淮�媒� Taylor said. 乌鸦传媒淢armots aren乌鸦传媒檛 particularly well-adapted to surviving in the forest. Where they can乌鸦传媒檛 see their predators, they乌鸦传媒檙e at a real disadvantage and we know that their survival rates are really low, so he乌鸦传媒檚 certainly a survivor and managed it, but I don乌鸦传媒檛 know how much longer he would have lasted.乌鸦传媒�

Taylor said the foundation is incredibly grateful to the people who reported the marmot乌鸦传媒檚 arrival in their yard. Camas is now at the Tony Barrett Mount Washington Recovery Centre where researchers will keep an eye on him for a while to make certain he乌鸦传媒檚 healthy before he is re-released later this month.

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chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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