Danger in the Alps

Climate change threatens our chamois and marmots

Thanks to their thick winter coat, their frugality and their ability to climb, chamois are perfectly adapted to the harsh high mountain climate. If the environmental conditions change, this has a direct impact on the animals.

(Bild: Veronika - stock.adobe.com)

Even freezing glaciers leave chamois cold. But climate change is robbing the climbers of food sources and encouraging parasite infestation. The marmots have a similarly hard time. In the increasingly hot summers, they spend more and more time underground.

Only a quiet trickle of stones sometimes gives mountaineers and climbers a hint that a pack of chamois is on the move above and at the tree line. Otherwise, the bucks, does and fawns - related to simple goats - often make themselves scarce. The fact that they blend in with rocks, mountain pines and brown vegetation is thanks to their perfect camouflage. "On the other hand, the chamois can sometimes be quite curious and dare to approach," says Tyrolean Mount Everest conqueror Peter Habeler, who has encountered hundreds of these animals on his tours through rock and firn.