With a bumper litter of new kids, the recently introduced ibex population in the French Pyrenees is thriving more than a century after the native species of wild goats was wiped out in France.

Officials have counted 70 newborn ibex this year at the Pyrenees National Park (PNP) and nearby Ariege Regional Park in the craggy mountains that separate France and Spain.

The French population now stands at some 400 animals, though they are not the original Pyrenean Ibex, the last two of which in France were shot and killed in 1910.

The Pyrenean Ibex became totally extinct in 2000, when the last known female was found dead on the Spanish side.

The new goats are Western Spanish Ibex, another subspecies of the Iberian Ibex that began to be brought over from a Spanish reserve in 2014.

Recognisable by their long, curving horns, the ibex can easily scamper up cliffs in search of grass, leaves and moss.

"In relation to the initial goal of establishing a viable core population, for now we can say the operation has been a success," Jerome Lafitte, head of fauna operations at the Pyrenees park, told AFP.

For Matthieu Cruege, director of the Ariege park: "These are majestic animals, and it really is exciting when you're able to see them. The ibex really adds to the mountain tourism industry."

New introductions are planned this fall in the Aspe valley closer to the Atlantic Ocean, while next year officials will attempt to diversify the genetic pool by adding ibex from other areas.

"We'll have to wait another 30 years to see ibex all across the Pyrenees," said Jean-Paul Crampe, a member of the PNP's scientific committee.

"It's a popular species -- and it's much easier to re-introduce than bears or wolves," he said.

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

New Guinea singing dog thriving all along
Washington DC (UPI) Sep 01, 2020
The New Guinea singing dog was thought to have disappeared from the wild some 50 years ago, but new research suggests the unusual species has been thriving all along in the New Guinea Highlands. Genomic analysis, detailed this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, confirmed a group of wild dogs discovered in the New Guinea Highlands as the population from which New Guinea singing dogs were derived. New Guinea singing dogs are noted for their distinct, melodi ... read more