Marmots Can Carry Bubonic Plague Bacteria
In Central Asia, marmots — particularly the Tarbagan marmot (Marmota sibirica) — are a natural reservoir for Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes bubonic plague. In Mongolia, China, and Russia, eating or hunting sick marmots has caused sporadic plague outbreaks in humans. The 1911 Manchurian plague pandemic, which killed over 60,000 people, was traced to marmot hunting. Today, Central Asian countries maintain monitoring programs and ban the hunting of sick marmots.