The following is my translation of an article called: Der Alpensteinbock von Dr FG. It appeared in a German popular science magazine, Kosmos Handweiser für Naturfreunde 1913, Heft 8, Seiten 309-310.
I'm not aware of any previous translation.
Trevor Dykes.

The Alpine ibex by Dr FG
The Alpine ibex goat is one of the most impressive animal figures of the Alpine world but, unfortunately, it also counts among those which will shortly only belong to history. Its first appearance occurred in the mists of prehistory. According to various discoveries, it may be concluded that it was a fairly frequent hunting object for the ancient farmers (Pfahlbauern) of the lands before the Alps, and hundreds of live individuals could be captured during a single round of camp games during Roman times. It was also common in the Alps of the early Middle Ages, but was already noted as a rarity towards the end of Medieval times. Today, the almost extinct Alpine ibex (Capra ibex L.) has become a pronounced animal of the high mountains restricted to only the highest and most inaccessible mountain districts, and only such places prevent its complete disappearance. The previously extensive Swiss population had almost totally disappeared by the beginning of the 19th century due to unrestricted hunting and planless shooting. And still today, in Salzburg and Tyrol, one can meet mountain dwellers with superstitious beliefs from the Middle Ages, who are convinced as to the healing qualities of Alpine ibex blood and various body parts. One can still buy all manner of quack medicines, which the earlier Archbishoprics of Salzburg and Tyrol knew how to skilfully exploit for business purposes and, more than anything else, this has also led to the destruction of the animals. Only in the Piedmont valleys between Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa, where Italy, France and Switzerland meet, has the Italian royal family provided a safe haven from the shots of poachers and total extinction. Happily, the goats also successfully reproduce there are, according to Bergmiller, the number can today be estimated at around 600 individuals.

While the chamois only dares to move with zigzag springs, the ibex rushes in a straight line, and it looks as comfortable on almost vertical walls as it does when making its way over level ground, as its hooves are so widely spread that they cover three times more of the typical surface area. The climbing abilities and learning skills are worthy of astonishment and have become by-words. It cannot be denied that the ibex goat has a high level of sense; it provides evidence of this cleverness through its selection of places of residence and skilful changes of direction, with calculated care in cases of danger, and its easy adaptability to changed circumstances. A favourite habit of strong, settled-living, dominant bucks is to sway on steep rocky crags in high winds with its legs set close together, or to sleep with its mighty horns stretched horizontally forwards with the forehead of its sunken head laid upon the ground. The rare pleasure of an ibex hunt for a huntsman is, not without justification, known as the crown of all Alpine chases, even if today it is only possible for the King of Italy in his own Mountain ibex reserve.

The horns, which are carried by both sexes, can be a metre long and very thick for the old bucks. They remain much smaller for the females. Colour and outline change in accordance with the season and age, but they are not very distinctive. The rough, thick hair covering is short, shiny and red-brown in the summer but woollier and rawer in the winter. Darker stripes run along the front of the neck, breast, legs and the back. The powerful, middle-sized legs support a compact, portly body, and the neck is of an unremarkable size in contrast to the mighty horns sat upon the small head. Including the horns, the Alpine ibex can often reach up to 100kg in weight.

The Alpine ibex lives in herds of various sizes, and each will be accompanied by a mature buck only during the breeding season; these lead a residentially settled life for the other months of the year. Shortly before the mating season, in December or January, the strong, mature bucks engage in hard and bitter fights. The females give birth about five months later to one, or rarely two kids which, after only a short while, are just as skilled and adventurous mountaineers as their mother.- The Alpine ibex can be productively crossed with the domestic goat, and hybrids are produced that are also fertile. These hybrids are strong and energetic animals which, with their larger horns and their wild ways, more closely resemble Alpine ibexes than domestic goats. Particularly in Switzerland, bastards of ibexes and the large Swiss goats are often raised in attempts to release them into the wild, so that they might later breed with the remaining Alpine ibex population. Today, one no longer views such bastards as being a worthy substitute for the noble Alpine ibex of the high mountains; these hybrids are also not very suitable as domestic animals.

An index of more of my translations of old Kosmos articles can be found at:

Kosmos Translations Archive

A number of Mesozoic (and post-Mesozoic) location summaries can be found at Localities.