It’s Groundhog Day. Will winter in B.C. last six more weeks, or will it mercifully end early?
According to one West Coast marmot and her handlers, the Marmot Recovery Foundation, it’ll be the former and not the latter.
On Friday, Van Isle Violet reportedly saw her shadow after being gently awakened from hibernation in her straw-filled box, then weighed in a room with windows.
“Impressive, really,” said the YouTube video. “Violet looks just sleepy to me, but (Dr. Malcolm McAdie) is the expert and in the room. Six more weeks of winter and an opportunity for Violet to hibernate just a little more.”
The foundation noted that this is Violet’s third time forecasting the weather, adding the three-year-old is two-for-two so far, successfully calling for longer winters in 2022 and 2023.
The Marmot Recovery Foundation also said Violet’s weather predictions are “a side hustle,” stating that her main job is to help her species recover from the brink of extinction.
“It’s not your usual Groundhog Day ceremony. There are no proclamations (too loud) or holding marmots in the air,” said the group. “To get a Vancouver Island marmot’s take on winter takes a more delicate touch.”
The group says Vancouver Island marmots are the most endangered animal in Canada, noting that 20 years ago fewer than 30 were left in the wild.
“Our mission is to recover the wild population of the Vancouver Island marmot. We do that by providing supplemental food, restoring habitat, moving wild marmots to ensure they have mating opportunities in natural habitats and by breeding marmots in captivity and releasing the young marmots back into the wild.”
The group said Violet is just reaching adulthood and still waiting to have her first litter of pups, which, in turn, will be released to wild to rebuild the fragile Vancouver Island marmot population.
More information about the Marmot Recovery Foundation is available online.
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