The Tatra chamois (source: Karol Kaliský)
The chamois count was carried out by several organisations, including the Environment Ministry's State Nature Protection, the TANAP administration and TANAP State Forests, plus the Polish Tatra National Park.
Compared to last year’s spring count, the number of animals was down by 125. According to environmentalists, this was probably caused by unfavourable weather. On the day of the count it was frosty on the High Tatra peaks with strong gusty winds. According to the ministry, one gratifying factor, however, was the number of the young animals counted this year -- 140.
A total of 823 chamois were counted on the Slovak side of the range, of which 95 were young animals. A further 284 chamois were seen on the Polish side, including 45 young. The count is aimed primarily at finding out the number of new-born animals.
A significant increase in the Tatra chamois population has been recorded over the past three years. Critical periods in terms of numbers were seen mainly in the post-war years and in the period between 1998-2000, when the chamois count in the Tatras fell below 200.
