• An operation carried out two weeks ago allowed the transfer of nineteen ibex between the Vanoise park where "the genetic diversity is the highest" and that of the Mercantour which displays, for this species, "the lowest genetic variability. of the whole of the Alps ”.

  • The Mercantour park thus hopes to offer its ibex "better adaptation to long-term hazards, such as climate change or emerging diseases".

The operation was completed a few days ago. In the middle of spring. Nineteen ibex captured in the Vanoise national park (Savoie) were relocated more than 150 km away, in that of Mercantour (Alpes-Maritimes). A trip through the Alps to bring, as a matter of urgency, "genetic diversity" essential to the populations present near the Côte d'Azur. And prevent history from repeating itself.

Victim of hunting, the

Capra ibex

species

 had already completely disappeared from the Argentera-Mercantour massif.

Reintroduced with “too few individuals” at the start of the 20th century, local ibexes today present “the lowest genetic variability of the whole of the Alps”, according to studies.

And the park is categorical: this situation leads to "great fragility for the species".

"Capture females that are already full"

To remedy this "and allow better adaptation to long-term hazards, such as climate change or emerging diseases", the park specialists went to look for groups of ibex which, on the contrary, had "the most genetic diversity. high ”.

Thanks to a European cross-border program, candidates for horns in the Vanoise park have been identified.

And some of them were taken.

"Spring was the most favorable period to carry out this operation," explains Emmanuel Gastaud of the Awareness and Promotion of the Territory Service at the Mercantour National Park.

The animals descend into the valleys to find grass there and this is a time when they breed.

We hoped to capture females already full to kill two birds with one stone ”.

"Some have already left for the neighboring valleys"

We will still have to wait to know if among the ten females recovered by tele-anesthesia, drop net or cage trap, some will give birth soon.

And also if the nine other relocated males quickly acclimatize to their new habitat and to their congeners.

All were equipped with a GPS beacon to monitor their location from the Vésubie valley where they were released on May 1.

Good news: “Some have already left for neighboring valleys and even in Italy,” explains Emmanuel Gastaud.

They are animals that quickly seek to join groups ”.

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Ibex equipped with GPS to track them

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