The [Kyrgyzstan] graveyard had clearly marked and dated gravestones that showed an unusually high number of burials in the years 1338 and 1339.Their gravestones are legible after almost 700 years? How come most gravestones in the US before the mid 1800s are illegible?
"It was really bound to start with local marmots, because the marmot is the most prevalent type of plague-carrying rodent in that region." Salvin said
"Marmots? You ain't pinning that on us, bub!! No way, Jose. We've been here quietly minding our own business. Go see what those Chinese fellas have to say."
(I spotted these guys way up high on Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler, BC a couple weeks ago).
Marmots aren’t all that innocent...
https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/marmots.htm
You Are Entering Marmot Country.
From spring through mid-summer, the marmots of Mineral King have been known to dine on radiator hoses and car wiring. They can disable a vehicle. On several occasions, marmots have not escaped the engine compartment quickly enough and unsuspecting drivers have given them rides to other parts of the parks; several have ridden as far as southern California!