How the king of the mountain was saved from extinction

The proud Alpine Ibex once numbered less than 100 individuals but it has made a remarkable comeback and is now playing a key role in rewilding the mountains!
🌲 If you would like to start rewilding with us please check out the Mossy Earth Membership: mossy.earth/
🙋‍♂️ Check out Patrik's channel: / @patrikinnature
🙌 Subscribe to Mossy Earth: / mossyearth
💙 Join our Discord for members
START REWILDING OUR PLANET TODAY
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⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
00:00 Intro
01:00 Ecology of the Ibex
02:55 Looking for Ibex
3:43 History of the Ibex
🧐 ABOUT THIS VIDEO
===============================
This is the first time we partnered with a Mossy Earth member to help tell the story of the comeback of one of Europe's most iconic animals. We do these videos to help bring attention to positive rewilding stories and to show people what can be achieved with some effort.

[@MossyEarth]

🌲Learn more about the membership here: mossy.earth/ 🙋‍♂and about Patrik's channel here: kzbin.info/door/sG2qdGFAJebddsvdm6PMgg

[@hunterhq295]

Hope you can work in amazon next, due to deforestation there-Or help with the droughts in US or UK

[@luciakobza]

@mossyearth Your graphics in this video are unfortunately incorrect. Whoever made them confused Slovakia with Slovenia…and the arrow is not pointing to Switzerland 🧐

[@em0mancer]

babe wake up new mossy earth dropped

[@MossyEarth]

😂

[@zeamaiz945]

We love it, folks!

[@jcakblade101]

Thanks babe

[@ksbrook1430]

I found it interesting to learn how not all attempts of reintroducing species are successful and why. Good to hear that the Ibex population is recovering. They are amazing creatures.

[@MossyEarth]

Those attempts were important lessons which can be applied for other species today :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@littlenick2559]

@@MossyEarth Learning from mistakes is very important, but learning from past mistakes is much quicker than making them all ourselves!

[@ukilectric]

A minor geographical correction for 3:59 Dinaric Alps are located in the western Balkan region (mainly on the coast with the Adriatic but also going deep into most of southwestern Serbia), and are not located in central Europe. Slovakia's mountains are the ones called Tatras but are not independent of the Carpathians.😊😁

[@Aventador100]

Went in comment section for this! Thanks!

[@doug6629]

I'm pretty sure they just switched tatras and dinaric alps? :)

[@glps6167]

On the map, the Dinaric Alps and the Tatras were confused. When you narrate the introduction of Ibex to Switzerland, you show a map with an arrow pointing at Austria.

[@gnarmarmilla]

You guys are such a blessing. After hearing David Attenborough’s “witness statement” about how much forest we have lost in the last 100 years and how badly the earth is suffering I wept over the tragedy and I was all the more inspired to look for wise people who are working to save the priceless glory that is around us in our natural world. You at Mossy Earth are a blessing from heaven. Thank you for using donations for the good of all mankind. May God bless you all and keep you and may He be gracious to you and make His glory to shine upon you and give you peace. Amen

[@richardbidinger2577]

I was in Switzerland back in 98 and had the opportunity to see these fantastic animals first hand. Absolutely beautiful creatures.

[@patriciaotoole5930]

Lucky

[@Maxzes_]

Would you wanna see them again?

[@tiagodezoeten2557]

I keep getting amazed about the cool things mossy earth members get up to! It feels great to be part of a community of like minded people. Well done on the incredible footage and on the adventure!

[@MossyEarth]

Agreed! Such a great mix of people! :D

[@wastucar8127]

They're just so silly looking, I love them

[@LeaveCurious]

Having horns like that and scaling vertical mountains with such ease? They are definitely the GOAT of montane habitat... bad jokes aside, great work all involved and especially Patrik for the remarkable footage!

[@PatrikInNature]

Yeah when they started moving, there was no way I could keep pace. It seems easy when they do it.

[@LeaveCurious]

@@PatrikInNature you did brilliantly well. the only way to keep up would be an FPV drone...

[@MossyEarth]

that would be some intense footage 😅 Not sure they would appreciate it though! - Cheers, Duarte

[@ahoj7720]

While hiking in the French Alps, around a corner of the path, we went head to head with a band of ibex resting in the sun. They were as surprised as we and the largest male stood up less than 10 meters from our group. We slowly and cautiously turned back. Nothing happened but it was quite scary.

[@benjaminbronnimann3966]

I've seen them several times in the Swiss mountains, so majestic 😍

[@Miamcoline]

What an incredible story! Thank you Italy, as well as for saving the European wolf!

[@85aksiznarf]

I was todays years old to realise that the Alpes reach til Slovenia. Greetings from a slightly ignorant Swiss 😅 And thanks for this cool shots.

[@MossyEarth]

Well we seem to have mixed up the mountains on a map today so we are making mistakes too! The Slovenian alps are beautiful and well worth a visit! - Cheers, Duarte

[@aaronkirk9529]

I really do think ibex are such amazing animals. Unfortunately where I live we don’t have the alpine Ibex, but we do have their Spanish cousins, the Iberian ibex, who are just as stunning in their own right. They’re quite common where I live & seeing them out on a hike is always a treat 😁

[@cabinetofcuriosities9390]

I also already saw them in Portugal. Do you know the story of how they were reintroduced in Portugal? It's so interesting!

[@reggis401]

Great video! And thanks for all the hard work. But there is a slight mistake in the movie. At 4:00 on the map you mistook the Tatras with the Dinaric Alps, it's not a big deal, but it may mislead someone.

[@MossyEarth]

Good point, we totally missed that! Small error from a tired editor :)

[@diesuperhenne4851]

@@MossyEarth Another small error at 5:16 dear editor: the arrow actually points at Austria, not Switzerland... no biggie though, as an Austrian I just noticed.

[@thefisherking78]

So glad to hear they're coming back. Such beautiful creatures. My local art museum has a permanent exhibit called the Silver Menagerie where they rotate through a series of highly realistic fine silver sculptures made in Italy. The ibex is one of my favorites.. I always check to see if he's on display whenever I go.

[@timozkurt7944]

Impressive animal and footage, well done Patrik and the team! Would love to see them and their imposing stature in such dramatic settings!

[@PatrikInNature]

Thanks, worth the hike. :)

[@MossyEarth]

Well Tim, now you know where to find them! :)

[@stalker3348]

Love how supportive mossy earth is to the small channels it works with, excellent video as always!

[@PatrikInNature]

They really are the best :)

[@MossyEarth]

Its all about spreading the word and trying to help expand the message around rewilding :D

[@anniehill9909]

How wonderful that, in spite of the small genetic pool and fairly slow rate of reproduction, these beautiful goats seem to be flourishing. I shall certainly subscribe to Patrik's channel. He and his father are amazing.

[@glenncordova4027]

From under 100 to over 53000 is amazing. It is a wonder what nature can do if we just stop harming it.

[@thorium222]

Wow that was a really close call, almost our ancestor's had robbed us of another beautiful and amazing species.

[@sterkar99]

They're also the icon of my homeisland, the beautiful Mediterranean isle of Crete

[@matthewdavies5875]

Great work Patrik and long live the mighty ibex.

[@PatrikInNature]

Thank you! 👍Ibex are the best

[@awkwardatlas5623]

Incredible footage Patrik. Great to see what a community Mossy Earth is creating on here. Let's go!

[@MossyEarth]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Be sure to show Patrik some love over on his new channel :D - Cheers, Duarte

[@PatrikInNature]

Thanks! :D

[@Spiracle]

Great work on the filming Patrik, it really brought a fantastic recovery story to life!

[@MossyEarth]

Agreed well done Patrik! and good job on the edit Tom ;) - Cheers, Duarte

[@PatrikInNature]

Thank you both! It was a pleasure collaborating with you guys! :)

[@dharmesh3660]

Great work Patrick!! Nice to see the community contributing to the journey.

[@PatrikInNature]

Thank you! I'm proud to be a part of it.

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you Dharmesh for your help as well! - Cheers, Duarte

[@katerbilla]

As Austrian I didn|t know they where nearly extinguished. It is such a typical combination here: Mountains and Ibexes. Everytime we are hiking in the more alpine regions (and sometimes even in woods) we see them.

[@BeBraveToAct]

Amazing footage from Patrick and neatly informative video done by Mossy Earth ! Thanks for your work guys

[@PatrikInNature]

Thank you! Means a lot :)

[@pauldurkee4764]

You have to marvel at their extraordinary ability to climb sheer rocks, very impressive. 👍

[@littlenick2559]

Another amazing video! I loved the shots of the Ibex but also how Mossy Earth are partnering with local creators to help spread the message, sights and sounds wilding.

[@MossyEarth]

Glad you noticed! We want everyone to succeed so we can make our landscapes wilder :) Awareness is crucial! - Cheers, Duarte

[@MrDBZFan1995]

Thanks for the well researched history of the ibex. This year was the first time that I was able to see them in the Austrian alps - they are a really majestic species. Btw at 5:17 the arrow shows Austria not Switzerland ;)

[@tepidtuna7450]

Very interesting and encouraging to see them return to a better population count. I was also very impressed with the quality of the video. I watch in 4K and this is some of the best I've seen on YT.

[@louislamonte334]

Thrilled to see this incredible species coming back so well! Thank you for the invaluable work you do!!

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you Louis! - Cheers, Duarte

[@louislamonte334]

@@MossyEarth One of these days I'd like to become involved in your group in some way. Great to hear from you!!

[@islandsunset]

From less than 100 to more than 50,000 .. now that's a success story.

[@teviroge]

Interesting video and great idea collaborating with mossy earth members for these!

[@Joe-uv9jo]

Great vid guys, top class production

[@MossyEarth]

Glad you enjoyed it Joe! We do our best :) A lot more polish will come to our videos soon so I'm excited to see what you think then! - Cheers, Duarte

[@lukask.6572]

I did not know, that Ibex came that close to extinction. On the mountain ridges some 20km north of Graz, you will find lots of Ibex. Love them.

[@ambergris5705]

I saw some Ibex in the summer in Switzerland, amazingly in an area that's really popular with lots of visitors. The Ibex was a few meters away from us, showed absolutely no signs of fear. It knew we were on his territory, not the other way around.

[@PatrikInNature]

I had a very similar experience when I was filming. A group of hikers was coming down the trail, and at one point they got pretty close to one of the bigger males. He let out this whistling warning sound, and they immediately started walking faster haha :D You could tell who was the king of the mountain.

[@ambergris5705]

@@PatrikInNature Our Ibex was alone, and it actually didn't even react to us. We were a big group of 20 people, but it just kept on grazing. I am still amazed we got to be this close!

[@gre894]

Thank you for the great work of preserving and supporting Europe’s nature

[@joaoalmeidawild]

Great video about such an important keystone species! It would be awesome to see the future more populations of the Iberian ibex spreaded across Portugal Mountains. Who knows if you guys at Mossy Earth will helping that happen ? Cheers 🙌

[@DuartedeZ]

Well done Tom Berry, Tom Hikin and Patrik :)!

[@islamhamdan1]

Refreshing about the key stone spices thanks.

[@MossyEarth]

Glad you enjoyed the video :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@numerounico4001]

Whatching this video made me realize how lucky I am to live in the only region where this speace live Thank you Love from Italy

[@martinschmid797]

Patrik seems like such a friendly and cool guy. Thanks for getting that great footage of these beautiful animals and keep up the good work!

[@emanuelebergamaschi9424]

Amazing video as always! Just a little note: while it saved the species, Charles Felix didn’t ban their hunting for a noble reason, just elitism, he could still hunt them; there are rooms covered in ibex horns and chamois horns in a few castles here in Italy

[@MossyEarth]

That is true as was the case for the European Bison among many other species. Its unfortunate but it did the trick! - Cheers, Duarte

[@Ohio98]

Interesting how a hunter implements laws which allow a species to flourish. Perhaps he was a conservationist?

[@edouhoekie]

Ran into these animals while hiking in the French Alps in 2020. Very curious animals, lovely video guys!

[@n00RBERGx]

Another great video 🤩 You guys are amazing! And its even greater that you could include an member in the video 😁

[@MossyEarth]

We were so lucky to have one of our oldest members be such a talented wildlife photographer :) Be sure to check out his channel! - Cheers, Duarte

[@PatrikInNature]

It was so much fun :) thanks

[@lorenzogarompolo8074]

The Ibex looks so freaking cool

[@MossyEarth]

It is a truly magnificent creature! - Cheers, Duarte

[@YoungGizzle91]

5:16 that arrow is pointing to Austria, Switzerland would be literally just north of Italy :)

[@pepisipeps_yea]

I was thinking the same lol

[@naturalfukui]

Another really informative video. Thank you so much. Really happy to see that such an important species could bounce back like this. Gives me hope that others might do the same.

[@user-gp5tw5vo8t]

Beautiful! Please continue your beautiful work to protect this precious planet we call home.

[@polkawillneverdie2159]

I met three of these beautiful animals at 5u30 in the morning on an alpine climb previous year. Really cool animals.

[@Bos_Taurus]

Love from Slovenia! 💟💙❤️

[@gabbajon5654]

I remember seeing one last year. amazing creatures

[@maksiksq]

3:02 How to make audio recorded separately fit: Step 1: Extract the sound of your video using Premiere Pro or whatever program you are using to edit Step 2: Put the extracted audio in Audacity, press the amplify button and 2 other settings of your choice, put the audio back in Step 3: Enjoy Patrick's crisp voice.

[@Sheepdog1314]

beautiful animal....

[@MossyEarth]

Indeed! :D

[@Glamst.447]

Wow this is amazing information what a beautiful animal! 🐐💚

[@MossyEarth]

Glad you enjoyed the video :) They are so amazing ! - Cheers, Duarte

[@blackibex]

Proud ME member and an Ibex myself. 😀

[@racksofish]

Love me a new Mossy earth video!

[@MossyEarth]

Haha thanks! We appreciate the support :D - Cheers, Duarte

[@halleyrey3006]

Hello, fascinating video and beautiful creatures 💜 I just wanted to point our that on the map 3:59 you have marked Tatras in the wrong place - they are between Poland and Slovakia :)

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you for pointing it out :) It was a mistake made in the edit! Sorry about that! - Cheers, Duarte

[@niccololanfranco3830]

Hi from Piedmont, Italy! Nice recap of this beautiful creature ❤️

[@MossyEarth]

Glad you enjoyed it Niccolo! :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@EmaDurao10]

UAU! Beautiful animals!

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you Ema :)

[@riccardoromero5300]

Yesterday I was surrounded by 10 males.. spent with them half an hour! What an amazing view! (Piemonte, italy) unfortunately, I’m not able to post pictures here:(

[@joaquimbarbosa896]

Idk, why, but I've allways loved goats and I think in having some in the future. I just think they are really fun and entertaining animals to watch and can really help fight ecossystem degredation

[@joaquimbarbosa896]

The start of the video sure it great, specially with the music it starts hyped and than slows than when talking abou the decline of the species

[@Daniel-en2wo]

The picture quality is great looks like an actual documentary

[@anzezajc5889]

Im from Slovenia and i saw ibex its such a glorious animal

[@joaquimbarbosa896]

In some cases like this or Bison, one could surely say it the species were lucky to not go extint and to have someone protecting them

[@PatrikInNature]

For sure! :)

[@mysoneffa2417]

Their "Dew-Claws" toes & pads are also significant in their ability to cling to near vertical surfaces.

[@jakobraahauge7299]

Ibex sounds so much cooler than the Danish word "bjergged" ~ mountain goat

[@pencilpauli9442]

Beautiful

[@MossyEarth]

Indeed! :)

[@antr7493]

In 1970, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF) imported 15 Persian ibex from Iran and released them in the Florida Mountains near Deming, New Mexico. Soon after, an additional 27 were released, and a sustainable population was established.- Wiki Amazing survivors

[@PaulCoxC]

Really interesting video, and some amazing footage from Patrik. He definitely has me as a new follower of his channel

[@MossyEarth]

Indeed! His videos are well worth a watch :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@PatrikInNature]

Thank you! Appreciated :)

[@dankonesovic8437]

God bless you, for you are doing an amazing job!

[@marcojaggi5169]

❤ i didnt know that abd i love this animal becouse i see it so often when i go skiing or hiking in switzerland

[@laughinglighting4343]

Incredible video!

[@akshayagarwal3423]

Great Video!😀

[@beneuser1220]

It’s crazy, but at the famous swiss mountain Creux du Van in the Jura Mountains, there is a population of ibex. And they live in the same area, which every (good) day many people hike through up to the mountain top. The animals have grown so accustomed to the tourists, that they literally don’t give a shit about them anymore. I was there two times on different days and I have seen on both days ibex literally walking on the trail, or just laying next to the trail while people walk past them, so that you could touch them! (Which you should of course not do)

[@leroybabcock6652]

Nice I watch these for inspiration and hope

[@magiv4205]

The ibex is one of the most represented animals in Swiss heraldry, and is universally loved. I grew up close to an ibex sanctuary, and there's no local animal that will make a large group of unrelated hikers go quiet in awe and be glued to their binoculars just like a male ibex in the wild. The few times I've seen them in the wild myself are precious to me.

[@PatrikInNature]

Very interesting to hear that. Thanks for sharing!

[@ThePorcellioscaber]

The story of the rewilding plans in Switzerland is actually really funny and interesting. 1809 the last Ibex in Switzerland was shot in Valais and then only a few remained in Italy, where the Italian king, Vittorio Emanuele II, prohibited hunting the Ibex in 1821. He founded a corps consisting of poachers to protect the last Ibex in the Alps because they knew the tricks of their colleagues. From now on only the king himself as allowed to hunt the Ibex. But his plans succeeded and by the end of the 19th century to population had grow to about 3'000 animals. Around that time the Swiss government was thinking about rerelease Ibex into the wild and in 1906 they wanted to celebrate a newly built tunnel (Simplon tunnel) by rewilding Ibex. But the Italian king didn't respond and they did not receive any Ibex from him. What then happened sounds like a criminal novel. The Swiss started to negotiate with poachers in Italy and paid them 800 Swiss francs (today ca. 30'000 USD) for every Ibex fawn they smuggled to Switzerland. The Swiss ministry of interior knew about that and even contributed financially to make the purchases of Italian Ibex possible. Between 1906 and 1933 they smuggled a total of 59 Ibex into Switzerland where they bred different populations of Ibex in parks. The smuggling startet in June 1906 and as early as June 1911 the released the first Ibex into the wild. After some initial difficulties the rewilding turned out to be a complete success! In 2011 approximately 17'000 Ibex lived in Switzerland...

[@_SpamMe]

During the height of corona they came to places where they usually aren't seen. Two of them wandered really close to where we were hiking, pretty random. Not sure I ever even saw any before, normally it's just, uh, chamois (I guess that's what they are called in English).

[@ulumdschakichikov4613]

Thanks!

[@gator83261]

Great video.

[@adamgriss2025]

As a part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan, a renewed focus on reintroducing native wildlife in nature preserves across the kingdom. Among the animals being reintroduced is the Arabian Ibex. They are truly breathtakingly beautiful animals!

[@ckzf1842]

Thanks

[@EcclesiastesLiker-py5ts]

Astounding.

[@leofaustt]

loved this video :)

[@mitjademitrijcernac9204]

Great video. The one thing (or rather 2) you didn't get right was the position of Tatras and Dinaric Alps on the map!

[@shawnohagan5503]

Great video

[@krose6451]

Sadly I dont have the energy to leave a meanful comment. All I can say is thank you for sharing this with us

[@kochrobert8349]

Tatras and Dinaric Alps are switched on the map

[@MossyEarth]

Oops... apologies for the mistake! Our editor was tired when he got to that part 😴 - Duarte

[@PeterLaFrance]

How fantastic.

[@Bee-qf9zc]

When I was hiking in the alps at age 8 I saw a female and a male ibex I never forgot that moment

[@MossyEarth]

Those encounters stay with you for life! :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@Thukad]

"Later they were smuggled into Switzerland" You can't just drop that on us and not say anything.

[@epiphyte8646]

All the coolest kids are goat smugglers 😅

[@jumpyjasmine3735]

Mossy earth before sleeping? Dont mind me 🏃‍♀️

[@MossyEarth]

Glad to see you use our videos to put you to sleep 😂 - Cheers, Duarte

[@mimiurbabe]

so gorgeous

[@LittleSpaceCase]

i would love to see more about animals in slovenia too

[@MossyEarth]

I'm sure we will get Patrik on a future video with some more slovenian wildlife :)

[@PatrikInNature]

For sure. There is still so much potential, I'm certain we will find a way to collaborate again :)

[@bosertheropode5443]

@@PatrikInNature Nekaj čez kočevske medvede bi sigurno zanimivo bilo!

[@PatrikInNature]

@@bosertheropode5443 Video na to temo je že v planu. Če gre vse po načrtih, bo končan že pozimi, drugače pa na pomlad :)

[@bosertheropode5443]

@@PatrikInNature Perfektno. Tu na južnem Koroškem je podobno divje kot v Sloveniji, pač pa imamo malo manj medvedov kot pa vi haha

[@jujitsujew23]

damn, was hoping you'd be helping the Walia Ibex, the national animal of Ethiopia, which is currently endangered. I understand why not given the current war but I hope some day you do work in Ethiopia

[@MossyEarth]

Unfortunately it is past our capacity currently but I hope someone can do something about it :/ - Duarte

[@TheHortoman]

Rip pirenean ibex, always in my heart