Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
"I thought it was a groundhog at first,” said Robertson. “Then I figured out it’s a marmot.”
He pulled out his cellphone and shot video of the large rodent, and a friend posted it to social media. And that’s how the marmot became a neighbourhood sensation, attracting what Robertson describes as “wildlife paparazzi.”
“I guess because of its rarity, that’s what we figured out. So we named him. Turns out, he’s not the first marmot named Morty,” Robertson joked.
“Everyone seems to know about it, and is quite excited about it,” said Angela Negenman, the City of North Vancouver’s environmental co-ordinator.
“For me, it's been a great learning experience because it’s definitely not something I would typically deal with in the environment on the North Shore.”
Yellow-bellied marmots are known to live in the B.C. Interior. But it’s incredibly rare for one to turn up in Metro Vancouver, let alone in the middle of a busy commuter hub like Lower Lonsdale.
“I wish I knew what his story was. Like, how did he get here? And when?” said Negenman.
Robertson theorizes Morty rode the rails to North Vancouver on a train.
“It's possible it could have hitchhiked, so on the back of a pickup truck or something like that, and found some nice habitat to call home,” said Negenman.
The adventurous marmot likely went unnoticed until the city cleared heavy underbrush on the vacant lot, exposing the animal’s deep burrow.
“So once we knew that this was the case, the project was shut down immediately and I’ve been monitoring it since,” said Negenman.
Now that the lot has been cleared, Morty’s burrow is easer for dogs to spot, and sniff.
“The concern is that a dog or coyote may get the marmot, and we don’t want that to happen,” she added.
The city is reluctant to trap and relocate the marmot, so it’s hoped Morty will move to the city-owned lot right next door, where a boarded up house still stands, and a fence will keep the dogs away.
“There is no plans for this land now, so if we can give some access and habitat to a marmot … if it can have a happy home there? Absolutely,” said Negenman.
Robertson, who hasn’t seen Morty in days, believes that’s already happened.
“He’s moved on,” he said. “He’s found a better burrow.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.