Alpine Ibex... Mountains of Northern Italy Traditional Cache

This cache is located inside the Assiniboine Park Zoo and an entrance fee is required. Summer hours: Open at 9:00 AM and gates close at 4:30 PM. Winter hours: Open at 9:00 AM, and gates close at 3:30 PM. Please repect our plants and animals at the zoo. 

The Alpine Ibex of north Italy are known for their incredible balance and rock climbing skills. Baby ibex are natural rock climbers and are able to follow their mothers up onto a rocky ledge one day after their birth. The male ibex has incredible curved horns that can measure up to 1.4 metres in length, and a thick beard and coat that changes colour with the seasons. The female also sports small horns, but doesn’t have a beard. Her fur coat does not change colour. She remains a light brown colour all year.

You can estimate the age of the ibex by counting the ridges in their horns. A large bump generally indicates that a summer season with lots of food, while a smaller bump generally indicates that less food is available in winter. At Assiniboine Park Zoo, the ibex are fed the same amount all year round. Alpine ibex have a very good sense of balance, as you can see them in images perched on the sheer face of a dam in the Gran Paradiso National Park of northern Italy.