The chamois is a goat-antelope native to mountainous regions of Europe and parts of Asia. It has also been introduced to New Zealand's South Island. Chamois live at moderately high altitudes and are well-adapted to steep, rocky terrain. They have short horns and change color seasonally from brown in summer to grey in winter. Female chamois live in herds while males tend to be solitary, except during mating season in late fall/early winter. Chamois were brought to New Zealand in 1907 and have since spread across the South Island, where they are now hunted to control their impact on native plants.
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The chamois is a goat-antelope native to mountainous regions of Europe and parts of Asia. It has also been introduced to New Zealand's South Island. Chamois live at moderately high altitudes and are well-adapted to steep, rocky terrain. They have short horns and change color seasonally from brown in summer to grey in winter. Female chamois live in herds while males tend to be solitary, except during mating season in late fall/early winter. Chamois were brought to New Zealand in 1907 and have since spread across the South Island, where they are now hunted to control their impact on native plants.
The chamois is a goat-antelope native to mountainous regions of Europe and parts of Asia. It has also been introduced to New Zealand's South Island. Chamois live at moderately high altitudes and are well-adapted to steep, rocky terrain. They have short horns and change color seasonally from brown in summer to grey in winter. Female chamois live in herds while males tend to be solitary, except during mating season in late fall/early winter. Chamois were brought to New Zealand in 1907 and have since spread across the South Island, where they are now hunted to control their impact on native plants.
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The chamois is a goat-antelope native to mountainous regions of Europe and parts of Asia. It has also been introduced to New Zealand's South Island. Chamois live at moderately high altitudes and are well-adapted to steep, rocky terrain. They have short horns and change color seasonally from brown in summer to grey in winter. Female chamois live in herds while males tend to be solitary, except during mating season in late fall/early winter. Chamois were brought to New Zealand in 1907 and have since spread across the South Island, where they are now hunted to control their impact on native plants.
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Chamois
The chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe,
including the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, the European Alps, the Tatra Mountains, the Balkans, parts of Turkey, and the Caucasus. The chamois has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand. Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU under the European Habitats Directive.
The Dutch name for the chamois is gems, and the male is called a gemsbok. In Afrikaans, the name "gemsbok" came to refer to a species of Subsaharan antelope of the genus Oryx, and this meaning of "gemsbok" has been adopted into English.
Chamois live at moderately high altitudes and are adapted to living in steep, rugged, rocky terrain. A fully grown chamois reaches a height of about 75 centimetres (30 in) and weighs between 20 kilograms (44 lb) and 30 kilograms (66 lb). Both males and females have short, straightish horns which are hooked backwards near the tip. In summer, the fur has a rich brown colour which turns to a light grey in winter. Distinct characteristics are a white face with pronounced black stripes below the eyes, a white rump and a black stripe along the back. Chamois can reach an age of 20 years.
Female chamois and their young live in herds; adult males tend to live solitarily for most of the year. During the rut (late November/early December in Europe, May in New Zealand), males engage in fierce battles for the attention of unmated females. An impregnated female undergoes a gestation period of 20 weeks, after which a single kid is born. The kid is fully grown by 1 year of age.
Alpine chamois arrived in New Zealand in 1907 as a gift from the Austrian Emperor, Franz Joseph I. The first surviving releases were made in the Aoraki/Mount Cook region and these animals gradually spread over much of the South Island.
In New Zealand, hunting of chamois is unrestricted and even encouraged by the Department of Conservation to limit the animal's impact on New Zealand's native alpine flora.
New Zealand chamois tend to weigh about 20% less than European individuals of the same age, suggesting that food supplies may be limited.
As their meat is considered tasty, chamois are popular game animals. Chamois have two traits that are exploited by hunters. The first is that they are most active in the morning and evening when they feed. The second trait is that chamois tend to look for danger from below. This means that a hunter stalking chamois from above is less likely to be observed and more likely to be successful.
The tuft of hair from the back of the neck, the gamsbart (chamois "beard"), is traditionally worn as a decoration on hats throughout the alpine countries. Chamois leather, traditionally made from the hide (animal) of the chamois, is very smooth and absorbent and is favoured in cleaning and polishing because it produces no streaking. Modern chamois leather may be made from chamois hide, but hides of deer or domestic goats or sheep are commonly used.
