Chamois

Morphology

Size and the weight

They are the smallest representatives of Caprinés (Chamois, Isard S, Mouflon S and Bouquetin S). They measure in general for the adult males between 100 and 135 cm of the muzzle to the tail, between 67 and 85 cm in height to the garrot. The weight is included/understood enters 22 and 62 kg. The females are almost always lower to them in weight and the face. The animals have a maximum weight in autumn, whereas they accumulated reserves during the summer. At the end of the winter, the weight of the chamois can decrease by half.

Longevity and life expectancy

The chamois can live up to 25 years, but little exceed 15 or 16 years. As from 10 years the senescence starts or “old age”, their weight decreases and that until their death. The hairs are not coloured as much any more, they raise a color grisâtre. The animals as of 10-12 years begin their senescence, then also increases the death rate which still believes enters 14 and 15 years. The factor more the determinant is the wear of the teeth, because it conditions the catch of food, thus few animals can exceed 21-22 years. It should be noted that, as at the human ones, the females have a greater life expectancy. The kids have between 50 and 70% of life expectancy in winter and approximately 90% in summer.

Horns

The chamois are characterized easily by their small horns from a black ebony which contrary to the Cervidés are preserved until the end of their life and permanently. Moreover females and the males have them as of more the young age. The horns push as of the birth, they are visible as of the second month. The increase in sheath is maximum at the time of the second year of life. As of the sixth year, the horns do not push any more but from 1 to 3 mm per annum. They measure approximately 15 cm for 70 G (cases only - against 3 to 6 kg for the ibex) male and female confused. They push first of all vertically, then, they inflect backwards to form the hook. The horns are made up of two principal elements: the cases horn and ankle osseous. The latter belongs to the frontal bone. It is it which is responsible for the growth of the horns thanks to a fabric chorio-épidermiques. The cases horn or sheaths as for him is composed of keratinized cell épidermiques died and (substance rich in sulfur and fundamental of the hairs, nails, feathers, and horns). On the cases horn, we can distinguish two types of reliefs: annelures of ornaments (seldom on all the lathe), and of the rings of ages (full rotation and more marked). The annelures of ornaments are more or less marked protuberances, not to confuse with the rings of age which are due to a winter stop of the growth of the horns. The stop of the kératogenèse is due to a less abundant food and less rich in minerals.

The glands rétrocornales

It is one of the characteristics of the chamois, they are present at the two sexes at the back of the horns; they are size of a nut. In the males, they grow bigger as of September and at the time of the rut they secrete a very strong odor which will be used to mark their territory. The animals impregnate the trees and the rocks with them. It also seems that the odor of glands excites the female to support the coupling: this is why they are called glands of rut.

Teeth

The chamois as the men have teeth milk and final. It includes/understands 32 teeth as of the 45e month (20 baby teeth): 12 Premolar molar S, 12 and, 8 Incisive S. the upper maxilla is always deprived of incisors.

Peeling

The fur of the chamois is composed of two kinds of hairs: thicker and long hairs of earthenware jar and the sleeping bag. The hairs of earthenware jar (2 to 4 cm) form the essence of peeling, comes then close to the body the sleeping bag which forms a woolly layer protecting the animal against the cold in winter. On the spine, the male chamois carry a mane, commonly called “bores”, which can measure up to 30 cm at the time of the rut, whereas in summer it makes nothing any more but 5 to 7 cm. Thanks to a muscle horripilator the hairs of the mane can be drawn up vertically. The color of peeling varies according to the seasons: darker in winter than at the time of the hot season, it would correspond to a need for energy saving, each one knows that the black retains the energy of the solar radiation best. There exist also cases of Mélanisme and Albinisme which presents black or white animals throughout the year.

Directions

The sight of the chamois enables him to distinguish a movement with nearly one half-kilometer in the half-light, but this animal tests difficulties of identifying motionless objects even near to him. Its hearing is accustomed to the noises related to the human activities. The chamois on the other hand pay great attention to any strange noise, and to locate if there is danger or not, they use their direction more developed: sense of smell. This direction enables them to confirm, by favorable wind, the presence of intruder to more than 500 meters.

Shoes

The shoes consist of two toes which can deviate for better adhering to the rocks. The foot of the chamois also comprises an interdigital partition covered with hairs which avoids to him being inserted too much in the snow and which acts as rackets.

The heart and lungs

This animal is completely adapted to its medium as their very bulky heart shows it well. Indeed, it weighs from 300 to 350 G for 30 to 50 kg - the heart of the man makes ~250 G for 60 to 80 kg - moreover, blood contains more than 12 to 13 million globules red per millilitre: four to five times more than the man. The lungs of the chamois are also very large: approximately 1 kg. These characteristics of the chamois make that it can easily climb and descend 600 meters in a few minutes.

The position half bent

The chamois contrary with other animals has a bent position half. What gets a spectacular relaxation and a remarkable power to him. The bones form closed angles which will act as spring at the time of a jump.

The bézoard

The bézoard is a kind of ball contained in certain stomachs of chamois. It is a light varying conglomerate of intermediate size of the size of a hazel nut to that of a hen egg. The bézoard consists of fibers, vegetable remains and hairs of licking bound by the resin introduced at the same time as the bark of conifers and all nondissolved materials by the gastric juices. This ball can also contain silica and rock salt. It will end up becoming smooth and brilliant, brown dark and will release a strong musky odor. All the chamois can have that but that them gene in general not. A too bulky bézoard can be the cause of dead because the intestinal transit time is blocked by it. The fatalities are rare. Formerly one used these balls as amulet but also to cure certain evils and to even remove the giddinesses.

Distinction of the sexes

Pace

The sexual dimorphism is marked little in the chamois. Indeed the individuals of the two sexes carry almost similar horns and do not have great differences morphological. It is however possible to recognize them: the goat has a more massive neck, and has a rather triangular silhouette. The goat as for it appears finer and has more lengthened head.

Peeling

As of the fourth year, the males have, at the time of the period of rut, a long brush pénien prolonging the sleeve of the rod. The mane easily makes it possible to locate a male in winter.

Horns

The angle formed by the hook makes it possible in almost all the cases to distinguish a male from a female: the open hook is the distinctive sign of the females (more 45°). The diameter of the horns is also stronger at the base in the male.

The attitude

At the time of the rut, it is not rare that two males continue on several kilometers. Moreover, the male chamois have a posture of intimidation: of profile, tended body, oblique head high and ears. It is also possible to observe the chamois when it urinate; that makes it possible to say with certainty their sex: the females urinate behind of posterior whereas the male does it between its four legs.

Recognition of the age

Size of the horns

The size of the horns makes it possible to determine the age of the éterlous and éterles first year until their fourth birthday. Two periods should be distinguished: May at August and September at April In the first, the kids of the first year do not have visible horns, those two years have their horns until the medium of the ears, chamois the three year old have them as high as the ears and as of four years, the horns largely exceed the ears. During the second time from September at April, 1st year: horns short and little bent, 2nd year: horns slightly below the ears, but the hooks are quite visible. The kids of 3rd year carry their horns higher than the ears.

Rings of age

The rings of age, as their name indicates it, make it possible to calculate the age of the animal on the condition of having its horns. It is enough to count the rings. However, the first ring is not visible all the time, it is located in the curve of the hook. The growth of the horns is faster the first years, that is noticed by space between the rings, whereas the last close relations of the base are tightened more and more.

Teeth

The study of the teeth also makes it possible to distinguish the age from the subject, but it is however always necessary to have for the spirit that this calculation does not take account of a late birth and differences between each individual, this is why this method is less reliable. Moreover, it cannot be any more applied to animals of more than 45 weeks, because they have all their final teeth.

Peeling

As of 4 to 5 years, the males raise a mane. And at the time of the senescence, the color changes to become increasingly gray.

Food mode

Preferences

They like the herbaceous plants which they find in their biotopes. Thanks to a spreading out of germination in time, food is available a long time. It is very rich in nutritive matter, moreover they consume sometimes only part of the plant. He eats mainly the graminaceous ones and flowers the such iris, the Jonquille S, and the Gentiane S. In summer, the Légumineuses (clover of the Alps) constitute the principal dish of the chamois. It should be noted that the D. grandiflorum is named by the Gemsengras Germans or “grass with chamois”.

In winter

Their food is available in forest, or over the escarpés slopes and they do not hesitate to go down to the snow line in winter. They should sometimes scrape snow to release some grasses. Genévrier, Wild thyme, Heather, Houx, yew and Lierre S is the mets of the chamois in winter. In the event of shortage, there are still the very rough Rhododendron and coriace, or even the bark of the Arbre S. However, it proved that ingestion by the chamois of certain skin or nuts of which it did not have the practice creates at the completely unexpected Mâle dominating of the reactions of the behavioral types: reduction in peeling, modification of the vocal stamp and in certain cases of the Jura aggression by charage of the walkers. It is thus advisable not to throw in the nature of the fruits, remains fruits or waste which would not be naturally in the habitat of the chamois, example: date, banana, pineapple…

Salt

Like all the Ruminant , our chamois have a physiological need to eat salt (mainly in spring). They find it in natural saltworks, but do not scorn the stones with salt of the shepherds. Salt the disorders due to the fast change of food mode in spring or perhaps mitigates can attenuate a rock salt deficiency following the winter.

Water

The chamois almost never drink water. They find it in great quantity in the plants which they ingurgitent. Some times at the end of the continuations of the rut or in summer by hot summer days, the goats eat snow. The chamois avoid instinct the zones exposed to the sun, which reduces the water losses, and allows them to find their plants preferred.

Herds

The composition of the herds

The chamois gather by bands called herds. A herd is composed of the male called goat, alive as a recluse from June to October. During the period of the loves - rut - as of October, it is put in all its states and becomes very aggressive towards the other chamois. It can go until charging a man by confusing it with a chamois, preventing it when it realizes of his méprise.
In the group, one also finds the female, called goat. In June, it leaves the herd to go to insulate themselves on narrow grassy cliffs and to put at the world a CABRI which it will raise until the age of a an.
The CABRI is also called kid. It never leaves his mother and when that occurs, the goat recalls it near her by a deaf and raucous bleat. If it is him which loses it, it chuintement emits one bleated which she answers. The kids are very players, they continue, make capers, slip on the firns. After 20 days of the bumps announce the arrival of the horns. A CABRI can do without his/her mother only after four months, if not it risks death, unless being made adopt by another female. But, the adoption is a very rare phenomenon at the chamois.
The éterlou which is a male kid of one year still lives with his/her mother, just like the éterle, the female of a an.
The last animal composing the herd is the bréhaigne, this one is an old sterile female.

Life of herd

It can be made up of a hundred chamois but also some heads. Its composition does not change July at October when one finds mothers escorted of their kid, them éterle or éterlou, as well as sterile females, young goats and sometimes of old goats. The adult goats left the herd and live as recluses or by group of two or three of spring in October when the season begins from the amours.
It is the old sterile female, the bréhaigne, which carries out the group. In the corridors avalanches or the passages delicate, it is it which passes the first and the others follow one by one. Being sterile, the loss is less serious in the event of accident.
When the goat puts low, about June first, it drives out the éterlou which accompanies it since its birth and is isolated in its turn from the herd. The next summer, the small one is débrouillard but it will join all the same with the herd with its mère.
The herd is very well organized, therefore at the time of an attack the order is maintained. It can change direction with the impeccable precision of a squadron.

Life cycle during the seasons

In spring the chamois start to leave the forest which protected them during the winter, and set out again higher in search of the first grass tufts. It is as about this time as takes place the spring moult: that they will keep a little more than 3 months. Scraps of fleece still hang, giving the impression which they are reached of a disease. One can find places sown of hairs, where the chamois scraped themselves: this moult gives them itchings.
At the end of May - at the beginning of June takes place the setting with bottom. After less than one hour, the kids can rise, and after one or two weeks they integrate the herd, perfectly able to follow it. It is as at that time as the éterles and éterlous of the previous year “are separated”.
In summer, the chamois profit from an abundant food, and they benefit from it to constitute reserves of grease which will enable them to spend the winter.
Towards the end of the summer, beginning of the autumn takes place the second moult, not very spectacular: they lose their peeling of summer, and of new hairs push, obscuring the peeling of summer gradually; then of new hairs push, longer and thick, making peeling almost black, thus offering an excellent protection against the cold. This peeling is carried for almost eight month (September-April).
It is in autumn that place has the period of the rut.
In winter, food is rare, and mortality is maximum, in addition, it is correlated with the thickness of the layer of snow. The chamois are reduced to eat the shrubs, and the few grasses which exceed snowy coat.

Biotope and surface of distribution

Geographical level

One finds chamois in Europe, in particular in the the Alps, the the Jura, the the Pyrenees, the Balkans, the Carpates, the Sudètes, the the Caucasus, and still in good of other places. They are not difficult and can colonize types of very different habitats, although they adapt easily to their environment: there exist morphological differences between the subspecies. In a more general way, their habitat is included/understood between the 50e and the 37e degree of latitude Nord.
In New Zealand, at the beginning of the 20th century, the population passed from 10 chamois imported to more 12 000 individuals and one has currently recourse to massive demolitions to limit their proliferation. In Swiss, the population of chamois counts 97 000 individuals.

Altitude

It is often believed that the chamois confine themselves at the high mountain, which is false. In the the Alps, they in fact are pushed back by the man on the alpine floor. Altitude that they affectionnent more is the zone of the forests and the lower part of the pastoral zones, between 800 and 2300 high Mr. Plus, they are limited by the rarer presence of the alpine, non-existent lawns with the top of 3000 m: it should not be forgotten that it is about Herbivore S. the absence of grass does not prevent them from carrying out incursions with high-altitude: one located some with more than 4750 m, right under the top of the Mont Blanc! Downwards, they are limited mainly by the man and his constructions. In the absence of this one, it can be established at extremely low altitudes, as in the Jura or the Vosges of the South, until towards 600 Mr.

Relief

Much more than altitude, it is the relief which conditions the establishment of the chamois. Everywhere where it is present, a more or less broken relief is noticed. There is no example of alive chamois in ground flat or deprived of rock zones. Although it can use their horns to be defended, the chamois prefer the escape by far. Their speed and their agility on the rock have indeed only little equal. They adapted perfectly to rubble, with escarpés cliffs and grounds: the configuration of their members and their shoes, the power of their heart, the quantity of red globules of their blood, their capacity pulmonary testify some. Also seek they a broken relief to ensure their safety. Moreover, the grass of altitude is of better quality: it can contain up to 50% from proteins and phosphorus 100% moreover than in plain.

Climate

The chamois can live in a great diversity of climates, with averages of winter temperatures of -10 °C and estival maxima of 25 °C; precipitations spread out of less than 1000 with more than 3000 mm annual. Populations of New Zealand can wipe points of 8500 mm per annum in certain sectors. The chamois are very well protected from the cold by their thick winter fur: a temperature of -25 °C leaves them perfectly indifferent. On the other hand, it is observed that they attend the ubacs and other relatively shaded zones. One could deduce from it that they do not like heat. But in fact, this behavior is used to limit the water losses. They drink indeed only exceptionally, being satisfied with the water of dew deposited on grass, or of a little snow. Food analyzes tend to confirm this assumption. If temperature and precipitations do not seem to obstruct the chamois in addition to measurement, it goes from there differently from snow, especially if it is abundant, because it them constrained with increased efforts whereas food is done rare. Although the climate is not determining in the installation in an area, it strongly influences its practices and its manner of using space.

Forests

All the habitats of chamois, without exceptions, include/understand at least a forest sector, which offers lodging, cover and protection to them. Contrary to an generally accepted idea, certain chamois live all the year in the forest ( forestry populations ), contrary to the rupicolous populations , which spend their summers and autumns higher than this one.

Daily schedule

The chamois are generally regarded as diurnal animals, but it is thought today that they can also be active of night. It is unfortunately difficult to observe them in the darkness! They pass about half of their time to nourish itself. A quarter of time is devoted at rest, during which rumination is carried out. They also devote a certain time to displacement. The remainder of the day they supervise the surroundings and maintain the social relations, and the young people play. Their day consists of an alternation of phase of activity and rest, of variable duration. The members of a herd devote only seldom all at the same time to an activity, but one can observe a tendency on the harde.
The seasons influence this rate/rhythm. In summer and autumn, the chamois tend to feed in beginning and end-of-day, typically of 6 with 12:00 and 14 with 18:00, thus framing a phase of rest. It is at this period that they spend less time feeding, and one think that they are nourished also the night. In winter, they generally nourish three times. Spring, thinned down, they nourish almost all the jour.
This is valid for the kids, the éterles and the females and partially for the éterlous. The adult males, in spring and especially in autumn, at the time of the rut, enormously spend time in the social interactions and the observation, with the detriment of the food.

Causes of mortality

The winter

The winter is the hardest period for the chamois. The males leave the rut, and thus punctured their reserves hard. The females must develop their CABRI future, whereas food is done rare and little énergétique.
Moreover, the abundant snowfalls hide grass, forcing the animals with painful clearings if they want to find food. Snow also causes avalanches, that the chamois always do not manage to avoid. Winter mortality besides is narrowly correlated with the height of snow. The young people of the year are particularly sensitive there, and much do not survive their first winter.

Diseases

The chamois are regularly affected by parasites, which they are interns - strongles or tapeworms - or external - lice, ticks. They are seldom mortals in themselves, but weaken the animal and make it more sensitive to the maladies.
Those are generally not very spectacular, killing only the animals weakened at the end of the winter or in spring. But it can happen that they degenerate into violent epizooties, the such Bronchopneumonie or the scarcoptic scale. However, the Kératoconjonctivite is most known. It affects the eye, by inflammant it, ulcerating it and being able to lead to the boring of this one. The animals move with sorrow; the blind men let themselves approach closely, and sometimes fall from the rocks. Up to 95% of the individuals can be affected, but death rate does not exceed 20%, which does not prevent that it can be necessary more than 10 years so that the population finds its initial manpower.

The predatory ones

The golden eagle

The Golden eagle is one of largest predatory chamois. It seldom attacks the adults, which can defend themselves with their horns, but if they are in delicate position, it does not hesitate to precipitate it in the vacuum. The handicapped people, the casualties or those in bad health are more frequently attacked, while the new-born babies are preys of luxury. The eagle does not hesitate to attack, even if the small CABRI has a weight in extreme cases of its transport capacity (3 to 6 kg), which can force it to be posed and with perhaps letting escape its prey. Many attacks show failures, and thus the impact of this predator on the populations is badly known.

The fox

The Renard can also pose problem with the chamois weakened, sick, or with the new-born babies. The chamois in good health only are little worried by this animal, and can even drive out it if it approaches too near.

The brown bear

The Brown bear, in the areas which he still lives, is a large hunter of chamois. It is able to join them with the race to devour them. However, because of its quasi-disappearance, he threatens only seldom of the chamois in Western Europe.

Wolves

Taking into account its density, the chamois is the principal prey of the wolf in the French Alps particularly in the winter until the beginning of spring. However the percentage of taking away does not exceed on average 2%. Contrary to the generally accepted ideas the chamois escapes generally the attacks from the predator especially if it is in possession of all these means. With the youngest ibex and separately, the oldest patients or, it is ongulé of the mountain least sensitive to the predation of the wolf.

The lynx

Thanks to its capacity of hunter and its speed can attack chamois of all ages and all sizes. This animal had almost disappeared during last century, but it is currently reintroduced in Switzerland and recolonise naturally the French Alps.

Birds

The gypaète bearded recently reintroduced in the Alps can exceptionally have the same behavior as the golden eagle. Corvidés, such as the large corbel especially, can badger at the time of the animals already sick and dying, hoping to accelerate their fall and their demise.

Hunting

Abusive hunting led at the edge of the extinction several species of the Alps, the such Ours, the lynx, the wolf or the Bouquetin. The chamois also was very threatened: the population densities were with lowest until in the Sixties, and the extent of its territory quite less than today. The world records of hunting are held by prince Auguste of Saxony-Cobourg (Austria), which cut down 3412 with him of them only. The uncontrolled poaching of the rural populations made devastations in the populations. Today, thanks to the depopulation of the rural areas, with the forest recolonisation, the creation of national park and natural reserve, hunting preserves especially vast like to the installation of hunt plans, the man manages the taking away best; thus the chamois thrives again and extends on new territories some times thanks to translocations from populations.

Others

The stone falls in the corridors can wound or kill the chamois unlucky person. It is it should be noted that a broken leg does not mean death inevitably, because the animal can show itself perfectly able to follow the herd. It can also be wounded while falling, by receiving a badly adjusted ball, during a combat, or while entering in collision with vehicles. Malformations and intoxications can also occur, resulting in death sometimes.

Intraspecific relations

The period of the loves

It is possible that the rut is started by the shortening of the duration of the day. This reduction photoperiod would cause a hormonal stimulation which would generate the formation of spermatozoa in the male and ovules at the femelle.
The rut takes place as of the end of October and December. The goats, isolated during the beautiful season, join the females. At that time, they rub their horns against the trees, bushes and rocks, in order to mark their territory of a strong musky odor, coming from a liquid contained in two hormonal glands, located at the base of their horns. This odor makes it possible to alert the females but also to warn the other competitors.
The females never cause the males. They remain between them with their small. What changes their practices is the fact more frequently of urinating and of leaving an odor which will make it possible the male to know which is their degree of receptivity.

Engagements between males

The adult males are very vigilant during this period, they observe the attitude of their congeneric, eat on the run and are increasingly aggressive.
To mark their territory, they use the their glands rétrocornales or then, they are sprinkled of their urine by shaking their side with vigueur.
If a young male arrives towards him, the adult goat is satisfied to await it on the spot or advances nicely by roughcasting its beard, marks the plants which it meets, then the young person flees. Before the escape, it will have been subjected by its state which is recognized easily: it bends the members, lowers the head, approaches laterally dominating until the touch its muzzle. It even arrives that it starts to urinate like a femelle.
When two of the same adults stature meet, they fight. They launch out in infernal continuations, entrechoquent the horns and sometimes even are struck under the belly to push itself in the vacuum.

Attitude of the female and the male

When the goat is with several meters of the female, it adopts a dominating attitude. It tries to be made most imposing possible while being rectified on its front legs, the head behind, the mane roughcast, tambourinant legs avant.
The female is generally frightened and flees with the gallop, the goat continues it. Generally this one is accompanied by its kid which will cry not to succeed in following them. This behavior will obstruct the male which will threaten the small one so that it leaves. The mother then joined her small and the male will have to start again its approche.
Sometimes to manage to couple the goat, the male continues it until its exhaustion, then it will not be able more to refuse it. In extreme cases, they are put at two one preventing it from fleeing and the other the accouplant.
As soon as this one accepted, the male gives up its dominating attitude and becomes subjected: lowered head, mane flattened, raised chin, sometimes raised tail. It advances with steps jerked by taking two fast steps then a Net stop, it raises the neck and the leg… and starts again until she is convinced. The acceptance of the female is recognized when she squats herself by leaning the head ahead. It happens that some are completely satisfied and continue with brouter during the coitus.

The coitus

The sex act lasts 4 to 6 seconds. It happens that several males couple the same female and those proceed to several projections on the same goat's milk cheese. The males are polygamous. The sexual maturity of the chamois is reached as from 18 months for the two sexes. After the period of rut, the males generally are very tired and turn over to their loneliness, sleeping much. If the winter is early and too hard, it sometimes happens at certain goats to die of exhaustion. The dominant males which have more success can lose up to 25% of their usual weight between at the beginning of November and at the end of December.

Low gestation and setting

The time of gestation is from 24 to 25 weeks, approximately 170 days and the low setting with place at the end of May, at the beginning of June. The female does not have that a kid at the same time the twins are rare. At that time, the mother separates from her kid of the previous year. For this separation, it must sometimes employ its horns because it does not include/understand why its departure is desired. The released female isolates itself to put low.

The newborn

The low setting is very fast. As soon as that is done, the mother nurses and licks the newborn until it is completely dry. Generally she seeks a difficult place of access to ensure her peace. But it happens that the childbirth is declared prematurely, in this case there, she is likely to put low in a very released place what can be a danger to the kid with respect to the prédateurs.
With its birth, the young chamois measures approximately 50 cm length and 35 cm with the garrot, its weight are from 2 to 2,7 kg. After a few hours, it is already able to be held upright. One week after, both join the herd. Enough quickly the small one starts to play with the others of the herd.
Milk is extremely nutritive and makes it possible the newborn to on average take a hundred grams per day. After two months it has weighed between 9 and 10 kg and grazes already for a month. Starting from this age, the mother will not want any more to nurse it, but it will be completely separated at the period of the rut which will follow. It will then have reached half of the weight of an adult. The orphans are never adopted by a female having already small and it is rare that a female adopts a kid. Most of the time, those are condemned to disappear.

Interspecific relations

Good cohabitation

Chamois/Sheep S small local herds or transhumants led well and put in enclosure the night and small herds of dairy Cow S:

The agreement is relatively good and the chamois, without grazing at their side, will profit from not surpâturées zones of mountain pasture.

Chamois/Roe-deer S and Marmot S:

They live in good harmony, they are alerted mutually in the event of danger. The roe-deer, although more forester, gives a short barking and the marmot a whistle.

Chamois/Ibex S:

They cohabit rather easily on the same solid mass. However they do not have the same needs completely; In spring the small herds of ibexes seek new grass of the funds of valleys, which pushes them to approach very close to the men and the cultures contrary to the chamois. In full summer as in the middle of the winter, at the time of the rut, the ibex is satisfied with close-cropped grass and lichen of the escarpées peaks. The harmony cannot be bad. In nature, they does not have there a real combat, but it already happened that brawls burst in animalist park.

Bad cohabitation

small Chamois/Sheep S or large local herds or transhumants of sheep delivered to themselves:

Such herds are very disturbing. In the same way food competition is very detrimental for the chamois on its districts of wintering. These herds are at the origin of the transmission of diseases such as the infectious kératoconjonctivite, root rot, the sarcoptic scale or brucellosis. Wandering chamois/Dog S (rare) and especially badly educated sheepdogs or gun dogs. The dogs continue them until they leave their field but that is only one temporary escape.

Its predatory:

The lynx and the wolf drive out the adult chamois but the Golden eagle, large the corbels, the Brown bear as well as the russet-red Renard attacks with the small kids or the weakened subjects. When the chamois is alerted and panicked, it advances by jumps.

Relations foresters - peasants - hunters - walkers

The chamois tests circumspection and timidity in its relationship with the human ones especially on the driven out territories. It will be more tolerant towards the Man as from the moment when this one remains confined on the paths. The chamois does not distinguish the walker, the logger, of the shepherd or the carrier of rifle. Only the way of moving and the routes of the ones and others enable him to make the difference. A hunter going on a known path and very attended long time will be less dreaded than only one and inoffensive tourist climbing a slope. Contrary to the generally accepted ideas, it does not manage to distinguish a stone who fall naturally from a stone detached by a person. On the other hand it knows intuitively that it is necessary (corridors, ravines), hours and seasons when these falls are natural. Apart from these cases it reacts by mistrust. The chamois is not obstructed by the olfactive track or the prints of a man, for the simple reason which it does not move on the same traces and paths only him. It often has its own routes very stiff and vis-a-vis the slope and not in level line.

The linked activities with the Ski and the overflights of helicopter can be very dérangeantes for the chamois. Just as the Parapente whose shade on the ground can merge with that of the eagle royal.
The men do not have practically anything to reproach the chamois if is not to eat the buds, the growths and the bark of certain plants or trees. On the contrary, they are not responsible for overgrazing nor of the erosion of the grounds.

External bonds

Rupicapra will rupicapra - Hribi.net

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