A Vancouver Island marmot has weighed in on Groundhog Day, and she’s siding with winter.
Violet, a Vancouver Island marmot living at the Tony Barrett Mount Washington Marmot Recovery Centre, “saw her shadow” Monday morning, predicting six more weeks of winter weather.
Violet’s mate, Phillip, was on hand to confirm the forecast, and a video of the prediction was posted by the Marmot Recovery Foundation and the B.C. government.
The prediction runs counter to two other high-profile Groundhog Day calls elsewhere in Canada. In Ontario, Wiarton Willie reportedly did not see his shadow, prompting an announcement of an early spring in Bruce County.
Quebec’s Fred la Marmotte followed suite in the Gaspesie region, where a sign declaring “un printemps hatif,” or an early spring, was raised after his appearance.
South of the border in the U.S., Punxsutawney Phil echoed Violet’s outlook, predicting six more weeks of winter.
While Violet’s forecast may disappoint Islanders eager for spring, her appearance carried a more hopeful message.
Vancouver Island marmots are one of Canada’s most endangered mammals, with just 427 remaining in the wild.
Violet is part of a conservation breeding program at Mount Washington, where she and 19 other marmot pairs produce pups that are later released into the wild.
When recovery efforts began in the early 2000s, fewer than 30 Vancouver Island marmots survived in the wild. Conservationists say steady gains since then show the program is working, even if winter appears reluctant to loosen its grip just yet.