Tatra chamois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tatra chamois |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Caprinae |
| Genus: | Rupicapra |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
R. r. tatrica
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| Trinomial name | |
| Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica (Blahout, 1971/1972)
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The Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica) is a special type of chamois. It's a mountain goat-like animal. You can find these amazing creatures living in the Tatra Mountains. These mountains are located in two countries: Slovakia and Poland. In Slovak, they are called Kamzík vrchovský tatranský, and in Polish, Kozica tatrzańska.
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Where Do Tatra Chamois Live?
Tatra chamois live all over the Tatra Mountains. This includes the West Tatras (in both Slovakia and Poland). It also includes the Eastern Tatras, which have the High Tatras (also in Slovakia and Poland) and the Belianske Tatras (only in Slovakia). All these areas are protected by national parks in both countries. This helps keep the chamois safe.
How Many Tatra Chamois Are There?
The number of Tatra chamois has changed a lot over time. Sometimes there were many, and sometimes very few. The population dropped a lot during both World Wars.
The most chamois counted in the 1900s was in 1964. About 940 chamois were found in the Slovak part of the Tatras. After that, their numbers slowly went down. By the end of the century, they reached their lowest point ever. In 1999-2000, there were fewer than 200 chamois. This number is very low for a species to survive long-term.
Saving the Tatra Chamois
In 2001, a five-year plan started to help save the Tatra chamois. This plan focused on protecting their home, especially when they were having babies. It also meant controlling tourism strictly and stopping poaching (illegal hunting).
Thanks to these efforts, the chamois population started to grow again. After about 10 years, their numbers reached the highest they had ever been!
- In 2006, the Slovak Tatra National Park had 371 chamois, including 72 young ones (lambs).
- The Polish Tatra National Park had 117 chamois, with 27 lambs.
- By 2010, the total population grew to 841 chamois, with 74 lambs.
- The highest number ever recorded was in 2018, when 1,431 chamois were counted in the Tatras.
Here is a table showing how the Tatra chamois population has changed over the years:
| Year | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | ||||||
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| 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 | |||||||
| Population | 1095 | 1222 | 926 | |||||||
Tatra Chamois in the Low Tatras
Because people were worried about the Tatra chamois surviving in their main home, some were moved to the Low Tatras mountains. These mountains are south of the main Tatras. This happened between 1969 and 1976. The idea was to create a "backup" group there. About 30 chamois were moved, and the plan worked well. The population grew to a steady 100-130 animals.
However, recent studies of their DNA (their genetic code) showed something interesting. The chamois in the Low Tatras had mixed with another type of chamois. These were Alpine chamois that had moved from the Fatra mountains and the Slovak Paradise National Park. This means the Low Tatra chamois are no longer "pure" Tatra chamois. So, they can't be a backup population for the original Tatra chamois anymore. The Alpine chamois were brought to Slovakia for hunting before the Tatra chamois were even known as a separate subspecies.
