The ibex Capra pyrenaica returns to its former Portuguese range

Abstract

The ibex Capra pyrenaica has recently recolonized its former Portuguese range from a contiguous Spanish protected area. The first observations of ibex in Portugal were in Peneda-Gerês National Park in 1998. In 2001 we began a survey to confirm ibex presence in Portuguese territory, and to determine the current status of the species there. There are three ibex nuclei in the general area of the international border, and they are expanding their geographical range with two of the nuclei almost restricted to Portuguese territory. In 2003 the ibex population consisted of a minimum of 75 individuals. Different founder histories have led to distinct age structures in each nucleus, but in general they exhibit the population dynamics typical of a recently reintroduced population with high reproductive potential. Priority conservation actions for this newly established population need to include increased monitoring, and reinforcement of the population with individuals from elsewhere. Effective conservation will require collaboration between staff of both Portuguese and Spanish protected areas and an integrated Spanish-Portuguese conservation plan.

Estimating the population density of Iberian wild goat Capra pyrenaica and mouflon Ovis aries in a Mediterranean forest environment

“…Even though both sexes are hunted, wild goat males are preferentially hunted since they are Iberian exclusive trophy-hunting species, with an high price in the market (Hofer, 1999). Our productivity values are close to those described for other populations (Alados and Escós, 2003;Moço et al, 2006;. There is a gap of information regarding mouflon densities, both in Europe (Apollonio et al, 2010) and specifically in the Iberian Peninsula.…”

“…Our results show a sex ratio quite unbalanced in favour of females, during the autumn and winter of 2009 and parturition 2010. Previous studies report a strong variability in this parameter ranging between 0.5 and 2.5 (Sánchez- Hernández, 2002;Moço et al, 2006). In our study area this can be due to sex-biased mortality (males) during mange outbreak (Sarasa et al, 2010) combined with the low overall extraction, which is mainly focused on males, but certainly a relevant parameter to monitor.…”

An escaped herd of Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica, Schinz 1838, Bovidae) begins the re-colonization of the Pyrenees

“…The Iberian wild goat population in Guara Nature Park was isolated from others (Marco et al 2011). Populations founded by a small number of individuals and, therefore, probably with low genetic diversity, can face greater challenges than those with high genetic diversity (e.g., Moço et al 2006, Granados et al 2007). For instance, differences in the amount of genetic diversity might be one of the reasons why the species is sensitive to mange Sarcoptes scaibiei, which is a disease that threatens the species in different parts of its range (León-Vizcaino et al 1999).…”

“…Thus, in this work, we use the term Iberian wild goat. After one century of absence, C. pyrenaica recently re-colonized northern Portugal after animals belonging to the victoriae subspecies escaped from an enclosure (Moço et al 2006). In recent decades, populations have expanded throughout the Iberian Peninsula (Pérez et al 2002).…”

“…Currently, there are two extant subspecies of the Iberian wild goat, namely, C. pyrenaica: C. p. hispanica (Schimper 1848), which occupies the south and eastern regions of the Iberian Peninsula, and C. p. victoriae (Cabrera 1911), which occurs in the central and northwestern regions of the peninsula (Pérez et al 2002). Other authors call C. pyrenaica Iberian or Spanish ibex (Moço et al 2006), which we consider incorrect, as other authors have done (Schaller 1977, Pidancier et al 2006. Thus, in this work, we use the term Iberian wild goat.…”