The ibex, symbol of the Park

My name is Lillo, and I am the oldest ibex in the park. I have lived for 21 years! Why do I have a collar? Well, because we, the ibexes of the Grand Paradiso, are the stars! The low number of individuals reached during royal hunts generated very little genetic variability, which, ALAS, means poor ability to adapt and survive. Thus, thanks to GPS collars, and not only, they began to observe us: we are among the most endangered and most studied species ever.
Thanks to protection and continuous monitoring, there are now more than 55,000 ibexes in the Alps, but let's not let our guard down! Continuous studies reveal that climate change also has a major impact on my species. In fact, the increasingly hot temperatures make us graze in the cool of the evening, which is really unusual for us!
Then, if we talk about climate, the drop in winter snowfall reduces the mortality of older ibexes. So, the young males fail to mate, and the genetic variability is reduced again! And then there is the early spring that decreases the winter survival of newborn ibexes because, when they are born, the grass of the pastures is no longer ideal for healthy growth in their first year of life. I mean, I don't know about you, but we ibexes are a little dazed!