This year's spring census confirmed that the population of the Tatra chamois (a goat-like antelope, kamzik in Slovak) is developing favourably, the Tatra National Park (TANAP) Administration reported, adding that experts from the Slovak and Polish sides of the High Tatra mountains counted a total of 786 chamois, which is 46 more than last year.
"Even more encouraging is the news of new life in the Tatra mountains: as many as 95 young have been born this year, confirming that the chamois population is in good health and breeding successfully. These results are down to the dedicated work of experts, staff at TANAP Administration, the Polish Tatra National Park, volunteers and everyone who helps to protect this precious symbol of the Tatra Mountains," said conservationists.
The joint Slovak-Polish chamois census has been carried out continuously since 1959 and is one of the oldest wildlife monitoring programmes in Europe. This year, it was divided into several stages, during which individuals were counted in various locations in the Western, High and Belianske Tatra mountains. The Tatra chamois is endemic to the region, and the aim of the spring census was to determine population growth following the winter.
Source: TASR
