Kamloops’ ‘mammoth-sized’ marmot has a superfan in Scotland

An obese marmot photographed in a Kamloops park in July earned local and provincial fame after the photo went viral on social media, and the chunker now has a superfan in Scotland.

Aliya Hashmi is an artist and crafter living in Glasgow who makes animal characters out of felt, and after scrolling the internet looking for new ideas, she came across an article by iNFOnews.ca showcasing the fat critter and fell in love with it.

“I saw that article online and the discussion under it and people talking about the mammoth-sized marmot and found it so funny, I just knew I had to make a version of it,” she said. “There is something soothing about it… just so funny, cute and relatable.” 

Hashmi made a needle felted replica of the marmot and named it Marmoti, as the word ‘moti’ means ‘fatty’ in the language of Urdu that is spoken in Pakistan and India. She is prepared to make more replicas for anyone who wants one.

The massive marmot was photographed by Kamloops wildlife photographer Taylor Borth on July 6, and it isn’t clear whether it was pregnant or overfed by the public.

In the days that followed, local fans of the marmot submitted names for it to iNFOnews.ca.

Hashmi makes nature inspired art using found objects such as animal bones and upcycled materials and to date has created hundreds of needle felted animals with a comical flair to “make people smile.”

She had never heard of Kamloops before discovering the mega-marmot but has always wanted to travel to Canada to view landscapes and wildlife.

“I love this tubby marmot and have since shared the story to other friends in the UK who will get a laugh out of it.”

You can connect with Hashmi and check out her work on her Instagram here.