Alpine ibex
Switzerland is home to around 17,000 ibex, a figure that is all the more surprising considering how in Graubünden – the canton whose coat-of-arms bears an ibex – they became extinct during the 19th century due to hunting. The ibex was reintroduced in the National Park between 1920 and 1934.
The horns are the most striking feature of the ibex. Large and impressive on the male, smaller and more delicate on the female, this headdress almost proved fatal for the Alpine animals. As a coveted source of medicine as well as a valuable trophy, ibexes were hunted and eradicated in the Swiss Alps. Today, thanks to a breeding and reintroduction programme, there are again ibexes in Switzerland.
To see them in the summer, you need go high. These mountain goats’ favourite habitat is rocky terrain far above the tree line. Fortunately for visitors, ibex gather in the vicinity of some cableway termini and villages, such as Pontresina. As soon as the grass starts to sprout in the valley, the mighty animals in the Albris colony, a little the worse for wear after the winter, venture down towards the upper edge of the village and can be observed grazing, basking in the sun and tussling amongst themselves.
More informations
| Latin name: | Capra ibex |
| Natural habitat: | In the Alps, above the timber line |
| Size: | Head and body length 115 – 170 cm |
| Weight: | 35 – 150 kg |
| Population: | 17,000 animals |
| Breeding season: | No hibernation |
| Migration: | June |
Source Pro Natura