22 July 2010

Chamois, Carpathian coat of arms

Steep ridges chamois protects wolves, but not by poachers.
I was Guţanu in Bucegi, in a place where the path to the slope creep among spruce stands, mountain pine and grassland, and so well camouflaged that no hunting, no hunting is not indifferent to me. Pack of wolves seemed close enough to manage the herd of black goats and I was wondering if and how can I prevent a massacre. For I must admit, though goat hunting by wolves is part of more settled order of nature, I found it difficult to remain completely neutral: chamois is one of my favorites since 1984 and have been involved with the monitoring, restocking and research devoted to this species. But the goats I have saved the dilemma: immediately jumped on a policy difficult to access, where watched with interest his efforts to climb walls wolves. The talented climber of the wolves managed to achieve the policy, but in that moment, several elegant leaps, goats climbed on a porch and more difficult to reach, just above it. Instead of a bloody undo curricula, too, and we've enjoyed the chamois of the Wolf comic show, which, leaving the loser, had great difficulties to fall back on the steep slippery. Earlier glaciaţiilor, Rupicapra Rupicapra - chamois of the Alps and the Carpathians - was already a distinct species because it is completely separated from relatives, chamois of the Pyrenees and Apennines.
When they took possession of mountain glaciers, could no longer feed the goats and fled to the plains, but there was competition with other large herbivores, were also more vulnerable to predators, so that, as glaciers have melted, they were returned on the rise. Hoof capable of great strength, chamois, with a remarkable technical rock climbing, and found a perfect refuge steep ridges of the Carpathians.
Although some wolves, bears and lynx in particular by failing to capture a goat on the wrong foot, steep mountain gaps to ensure a perfect protection. Chamois a needle with a noble figure, has become an almost heraldic symbol of the Carpathians. But here and its drama, what more perfect target for a weapon sight can only be deployed in the sky proud animal? Poachers were enemies of heraldry Carpathian goat.
By the 40s, when weapons were scattered and not too harsh law, the number dropped Chamois in Romania in 2000. Exclusion from the alpine pasture of goals and a strict arms control have made since 1980 to reach about 8500 numbers. After 1990, black goats were much depleted by poaching, especially as the proliferation of rifles. Chamois gone much further in some areas. Cave of ice Scărişoara speleologists Rupicapra have posted a skull, a sign that once lived in the Apuseni Mountains. Later, he disappeared from Ceahlau, Vrancea Mountains, Calimani. After 1970, the research team hunting the Forest Research Institute and began restocking the chamois-friendly resorts.
Most specimens were from displaced Retezat Bucegi and Fagaras Mountains Stone. After testing several methods of catching, he opted for nets. This ensures the lowest mortality. After immobilization and injection mandatory to avoid transportation stress relief, chamois forestry were held back until wooden cages and trucks quickly went to the place of restocking. In the '30s, black goats disappeared Pietrosul Rodnei area, shortly before, had a world record trophy. Starting from only 25 goats displaced Rodnei reached in 1990 to over 300.
Then spread poaching led to a new threshold population extinctions. The measures taken after 2000 halted this. In Hasmas, Ceahlau, Ciucaş, chamois are again part of the ecosystem, and Siriu, at 16 goats brought from Retezat Bucegi Mountains and stone, are now about 100. Silviu Chiriac researcher believes that a good result was Tişiţa Gorge Vrancea: here, it was displaced from 13 to 240 goats. "Limiting hunting and poaching have contributed to this success", he said. But the biggest populations are those of the Southern: about 1000 in the Bucegi and Piatra Mountains, between 3200 and 4000 in Fagaras, Parang River and, in about 2500 and Godeanu Retezat. Carpathian Chamois is the most valuable in the world. Five of the top 10 trophies worldwide chamois were collected in Bucegi. The current world record is held by a trophy species in Fagaras Mountains. GO TO TOP^

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