Tatra chamois

Tatra chamois
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	Bovidae
Genus:	Rupicapra
Species:	R. rupicapra
Subspecies:	R. r. tatrica
Binomial name
Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica (Blahout, 1971/1972)

The Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica; Slovak: Kamzík vrchovský tatranský; Polish: Kozica tatrzańska) is a subspecies of the chamois of the Rupicapra genus. Tatra chamois lives in the Tatra Mountains in Slovakia and Poland and, unknown to many, the Low Tatras in Slovakia.^[2]

Population and distribution

Tatra chamois lives in all parts of the Tatras: West Tatras (Slovakia and Poland) and Eastern Tatras, which consist of the High Tatras (Slovakia and Poland) and the Belianske Tatras (Slovakia), all protected by national parks in both countries. As of 2006 the Slovak Tatra National Park was home to 371 chamois, of which 72 were lambs, and the Polish Tatra National Park was home to 117 chamois, of which 27 were lambs.^[3] As of 2010 a population recovered to 841 chamois, of which 74 were lambs, 699 (57 lambs) in Slovakia and 142 (17 lambs) in Poland, which is near to population peak of year 1964, when more than 900 chamois were sighted in Tatras.^[4]

Because of concerns of survivability of the Chamois in its native range, the chamois was also artificially introduced in the Low Tatras, situated south of Tatras, in 1969 to 1976. The introduction involved 30 individuals and the current population living in Low Tatras National Park is about 100.^[2]

Dynamics of Tatra chamois population in Tatras, not including Low Tatras population.^[5]

Year	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Population	352	200	162	160	205	333	345	422	486	488	532	701	720	841	929	1096	1186	1389	1345

References

1. Aulagnier, S., Giannatos, G. & Herrero, J. (2008). Rupicapra rupicapra. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
2. "Kamzík vrchovský tatranský (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica)" (in Slovak). Low Tatras National Park Administration. n.d. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
3. "Kamzík tatranský vrchovský" (PDF) (in Slovak). Tatra National Park Administration. September 2006. Retrieved June 19, 2007.
4. Libor Bolda (November 4, 2010). "Kamzíků je letos v Tatrách 841" [841 Chamois in Tatras this year] (in Czech).
5. "Fauna Tatranského národného parku" (in Slovak). Tatra National Park Administration. 2008. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2009.

External links

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica (Tatra chamois) — Critically endangered animal.
• Postage stamp dedicated to the Tatra chamois — issued by the Slovak Post.