Nationalpark Hohe Tauern

Monitoring of cloven-hoofed game


Spatial behaviour



    Exploring habitat uses as the key to protecting and understanding species

    The Alpine ibex has been in the spotlight of cross-border cloven-hoofed game research. Resettling in the Hohe Tauern from 1960 onwards, the animal's spatial behaviour is being studied, since climate change is expected to cause long-term changes to the vegetation, which will also affect the habitat behaviour of animals.

    It is against the backdrop of this long-term scientific monitoring project, that further state-specific projects on the spatial behaviour of red deer and chamois are being undertaken, where animals are being marked or fitted with transmitters. Veterinary medical examinations are conducted on all three species of cloven-hoofed game for the purposes of health monitoring and storage of DNA samples for genetic testing.

    Should you spot any marked animals during your hike in the protected area, the Hohe Tauern National Park would be pleased to hear from you. Thanks for your cooperation!


    Ibex

    Before the national park was established, ibexes were reintroduced in many regions of the Hohe Tauern upon initiatives of the relevant hunting communities. However, genetic testing showed that despite the often very different origins of animals released, the Hohe Tauern population does not differ in the genetic bandwidth to others in the Alps. The bottlenecks that the ibex was subjected to prior to its return to the Alps still shape this wild species in the guise of low genetic diversity with all of its consequences. This aspect is always at the forefront of any research into the Alpine ibex.

    Related links:

    Project reports/information

    Spatial behaviour of the Alpine ibex in the Hohe Tauern

    Chamois

    In terms of numbers, the chamois represents the main game species in the Hohe Tauern and thus in the national park. Reason enough to look into this wild species in great depth. As a result, the population dynamics of this wild species are the main focus of investigation in the "model region" Heiligenblut, while findings about spatial behaviour are being collected in the Sulzbachtälern (Sulzbach valleys) and the Habachtal (Habach valley) of Salzburg.

    Research material is currently being obtained from all three national park provinces on the subject of scabies.

    Red deer

    The red deer is one of the species able to roam extensively through the park. To this end, animals have been and are being fitted with transmitters and marked in the Hohe Tauern National Park Forschungsrevier Habachtal" (National Park Research Territory Habach valley) and in Seebachtel (Seebach valley), Carinthia. Since red deer can – from a human perspective – also have a considerable influence on business-focussed targets, one of the aspects to be examined will be how to represent the interaction between the protected area and the surroundings for this wild species.