Scientists studying marmots have launched an unlikely new fundraising drive on OnlyFans – complete with ‘uncensored’ videos of the furry rodents.
Researchers behind the tongue-in-cheek ‘OnlyMarms’ page say they were driven to the move by frustration over the state of funding for long-term field studies and environmental research in the US.
But rather than racy snaps, subscribers can expect wholesome marmot content, including videos and facts about the chunky rodents.
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The campaign is being spearheaded by Prof Dan Blumstein and marmot researchers Katie Adler and Emily Renkey, with funding raised through the page supporting Blumstein’s UCLA laboratory, as reported by Need To Know.
The team is based at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), an independent non-profit field station in Gothic, Colorado, which is home to the long-running RMBL Marmot Project.
In a post announcing the page, the researchers joked: “The state of funding is so bad we are turning to OnlyFans, or as we like to call it ‘OnlyMarms’.”
They then directed curious followers to their bio for “uncensored marmot content”.
And while the cheeky campaign is designed to raise a smile, there is a serious message behind it.
The researchers said they launched OnlyMarms partly out of frustration with their funding situation, but also as a way of communicating science and introducing potentially new audiences to their work.
The page allows them to share “cute marmot videos and facts” while highlighting what they describe as the increasingly difficult funding environment for long-term field studies and environmental research in the US.
The marmot project itself focuses on the animals over the long term, with researchers able to study their behaviour and ecology over many years.
The fundraising effort effectively gives the public a chance to support the research while getting an entertaining glimpse into the lives of the furry creatures.
And the team certainly isn’t shying away from the OnlyFans comparison – despite the content being decidedly less X-rated.
The campaign comes as researchers across the US face growing challenges securing funding for scientific and environmental work, making the marmot team’s unusual approach both a publicity stunt and a pointed comment on the state of research funding.
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