EATONVILLE, Wash. — A hoary marmot that became “food-conditioned” in Mount Rainier National Park has found a new home as an animal ambassador at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.
The young marmot that was born in the spring of 2022 began aggressively begging for food from people after being repeatedly fed in the national park.
According to a Thursday press release, Mount Rainier National Park officials say that the animal had become a danger to visitors.
“Food-conditioned animals will beg aggressively for food and may bite, causing serious injury and possible infection to people,” said Dr. Tara Chestnut, former wildlife ecologist for Mount Rainier National Park. “Feeding an animal can also potentially spread diseases among animals and people. In most cases, the only solution for food-conditioned animals is to remove them, which typically means humanely euthanizing them.”
After observing the marmot’s behavior, Dr. Chestnut called Northwest Trek’s head veterinarian, Dr. Allison Case, to see if the animal could become an ambassador for the wildlife park.
An ambassador animal provides real-life lessons that help visitors learn about how to treat public lands.
Dr. Case decided that the marmot would be a good candidate, saving the animal from euthanasia.
“Together, we agreed this would be an incredible learning opportunity for the public,” said Dr. Case. “This marmot will be a wonderful ambassador for his wild counterparts and encourage our guests to respect and appreciate wildlife from a distance when visiting our parks and other natural areas.”
Even though this story had a happy ending, Biologists at Mount Rainier National Park have recorded a noticeable change in the behavior of wildlife.
More and more animals are being fed by visitors causing them to be “food-conditioned” meaning they will learn to steal from picnic tables and trash cans and raid visitors’ belongings.
To help save the local wildlife, National Park staff ask that you follow these guidelines:
- Resist the temptation to feed wildlife and keep a safe and respectful distance.
- Always store food, beverages, and toiletries in bear-resistant containers.
- Place all garbage inside an animal-proof garbage can or dumpster.
- Keep a clean campsite and pack out all food and garbage from the backcountry.
- If the garbage is full, do not leave it; take it with you.