A Vancouver Island marmot stands on its hind quarters in this file photo.CP/Wirephoto
Two Canadian zoos are sharing a North American conservation award for their work in saving the endangered Vancouver Island marmot.
Calgary and Toronto have been recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The Calgary Zoo has contributed 95 marmot pups since 2000 for reintroduction to the wild or to bolster the captive breeding population.
The Vancouver Island marmot is one of the most endangered mammals on the continent. It is one of 14 marmot species worldwide and exists nowhere else except on the Island.
Habitat loss, predation and a small population base for reproduction led to a rapid decline in numbers. The marmots were down to less than 30 wild animals by 2003 but have rebounded to about 300.
The Toronto Zoo received the first six wild marmots in the 1990s to initiate the captive breeding component of a recovery plan established in British Columbia in 1988 for the dwindling species.
To date, a total of 375 marmots have been released back to the wild.