In Northern Italy, between the valleys of the Piedmont and Val d’Aosta regions, lies Italy’s oldest national park—a treasure chest of incredible biodiversity. Among the species of fauna found within it is its symbol: the Alpine ibex. The Gran Paradiso National Park has played a crucial role in the survival of this extraordinary animal, saving it from almost certain extinction. The ibex (Capra ibex) faced the threat of disappearing due to hunting with firearms; by the early 1800s, fewer than a hundred remained.
The first step toward its protection was taken in 1821 when a measure was enacted prohibiting its killing, thanks to Joseph Zumstein De La Pierre, a naturalist and forestry inspector. In March 1820, he sent a detailed letter to the Royal Academy of Sciences in Turin, highlighting the significant decline in the Alpine ibex population over time. Here is an excerpt: “Proud that my lonely country still possesses this rare treasure, I warn with devoted respect to care for these animals and wish to drastically prohibit their hunting by a strict ban.”
From that point on, hunting remained a luxury reserved for the royal family until 1919 when the royals decided to cede their territories to the state. This led to the formal establishment of the Gran Paradiso National Park in 1922. Today, the park is home to more than 167 species of fauna, including over 2,500 Alpine ibexes, all of which are native to the Gran Paradiso strain.
The ibex rules its kingdom, from the coniferous forests to the high-altitude © Paolo Della Rocca alpine grasslands that lead to the imposing peaks. This is a world made of rock stretching toward the sky, where at night it seems as if they could almost touch the stars with their mighty horns. The mountains are their home, and the strong winds at high altitudes often carry the unmistakable wild scent of these animals.
Every season, the ibex’s presence enriches the alpine scenery. It is always a fascinating sight to catch a glimpse of them during a snowstorm, at sunset when their silhouettes are drawn between the peaks, or when the males engage in duels on the peaks that seem to caress the sky.
The Alpine ibex is a long-lived animal; females can live up to ten years, while males typically live up to fifteen. The age of each specimen can be accurately determined by counting the annual rings on the back of their horns.
The ibex’s habitat is closely linked to the availability of food, which guides them between different mountain levels throughout the year. The availability of vegetation significantly influences their seasonal movements. This wonderful animal, a ruminant herbivore, is a glutton for salt. Its diet consists of fresh grass in the spring-summer season, while in other seasons, it is supplemented with shrubs, shoots, lichens, and conifer needles. From spring through late summer, they must feed as much as possible, greatly increasing their weight, as the accumulated fat is essential for surviving the winter.
They often venture onto roads lining the alpine grasslands to feed on the salt left by humans for road safety. In winter, they search for food in the south, where the sun dries the snow.
Despite unrestrained hunting and being on the verge of extinction, protective measures over time have made the ibex extremely tolerant and permissive of human presence. It is not uncommon to encounter them up close, given their tame nature. Being exceptional climbers, they defend themselves excellently from potential natural predators, such as wolves, which cannot reach them on the more vertical rock faces where they feel safe. Females, in particular, tend to stay on slopes that are harder for other animals to reach, precisely to protect their young.
The Alpine ibex is characterized by hollow, permanent antlers. The horns of the males are much longer and more powerful than those of the females, with an average maximum length of ninety centimeters. In winter, their horns do not grow, as the available resources are reduced. Growth resumes the following spring. There are also evident differences in weight between males and females. Males weigh about ninety kilograms at the end of autumn, with an average length of about one hundred and sixty centimeters, while females weigh half as much and have an average length of one hundred and thirty centimeters. Males and females live in separate groups throughout the year, except during the breeding season, which generally occurs in early December. Clashes between males establish hierarchy and access to females during breeding.
In winter, to protect themselves from the cold, ibexes develop a thick downy coat, which they then shed in the following spring by scratching against rocks and tree trunks.
Like other alpine wildlife, the ibex is threatened by impending climate change. With rising temperatures and less severe winters, it is forced to move to higher altitudes to find suitable temperatures, causing its living space to shrink. The Alpine ibex does not have good thermoregulation skills, meaning that if it gets too hot, it cannot maintain optimal body temperatures. During the summer, they must compromise between their dietary needs and the physiological need to seek cooler areas. Harsh winters once served as a tool of natural selection, ensuring that only the strongest specimens survived. Now, with more animals surviving, the species is weakening. Additionally, grass that used to grow in June along with the birth of pups now grows between April and May, containing fewer nutrients essential to newborns.
Therefore, concerns about their survival over time are legitimate, as the scenery of the alpine mountains would change without the ibex, the king of these peaks. From the problems caused by humans to the effects of climate change, it is hoped that this quintessential symbol of the Gran Paradiso National Park and alpine fauna will continue to bring many generations to light and that we will all be able to enjoy its almost divine beauty for a long time—a beauty just a step away from the sky, where its horns seem to touch the firmament.
