The Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica; ; ) is a subspecies of the chamois of the genus Rupicapra. Tatra chamois live in the Tatra Mountains in Poland and Slovakia.
Population and distribution The Tatra chamois live in all parts of the Tatras: in the Western Tatras (Slovakia and Poland) and in the Eastern Tatras, the latter consisting the High Tatras (Slovakia and Poland) and the Belianske Tatras (Slovakia), all protected by national parks in both countries. Joint Slovak-Polish monitoring of the chamois population has been carried out continuously since 1959.
The population has undergone several troughs and peaks, with the most noticeable troughs occurring during both world wars. The largest population in the 20th century was recorded in the year 1964, when as much as 940 individuals were counted in the Slovak region of the Tatras. Subsequently, the population declined steadily to the lowest recorded numbers in history at the end of the century. During the years 1999-2000 numbers dropped below 200 individuals, which is considered a critical population size for the long-term survival of the subspecies.
A 5-year programme to save the Tatra chamois started in 2001, focusing on preserving its environment - especially during the mating season - by strict regulation of tourism and suppression of poaching. The population started to recover, and by 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. 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 the peak of 1964. The highest ever population was recorded in 2018, when 1,431 individuals were counted in Tatras. After that the population began to decline, and this trend became more pronounced from 2023.
Chamois population in the Tatras: Year 1997 1998 1999 2000 Population 352 200 162 160 Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Population 205 333 345 422 486 488 532 701 720 841 Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Population 929 1096 1186 1389 1345 1367 1263 1431 1367 983 Year 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Population 1095 1222 926 949 805
Census results:
Low Tatras Because of concerns about survivability in its native range, the Tatra chamois was also reintroduced into the Low Tatras mountains, situated south of the Tatras, between 1969 and 1976, to create a reserve population there. Chamois skull and skeletal fragments found in caves suggest that the species was present in this mountain range a few thousand years ago. The reintroduction involved 30 individuals and was successful as the population grew to a stable 100-130 individuals.
However, recent DNA studies have shown that the Low Tatras population crossbred with Alpine chamois migrating from the Fatra mountains and the Slovak Paradise National Park. The Low Tatra chamois are no longer considered genetically pure and therefore cannot act as a reserve population for the Tatra chamois. The Alpine chamois were introduced into Slovakia for hunting purposes before the Tatra chamois were officially classified as a separate subspecies.
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