Western Spanish ibex

The Western Spanish ibex or Gredos ibex (Capra pyrenaica victoriae) is a vulnerable subspecies of goat indigenous to Spain. Specifically, it is indigenous to the central Spanish mountains Sierra de Gredos. Later it was re-introduced to other sites in Spain (Batuecas, La Pedriza, Riaño) and to northern Portugal (Peneda-Gerês National Park).[1]

Western Spanish ibex
Western Spanish ibex at Sierra de Gredos (Spain)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Genus: Capra
Species:
C. pyrenaica
Subspecies:
C. p. victoriae
Trinomial name
Capra pyrenaica victoriae
Cabrera, 1911

Remnant populations survive in the Picos de Europa and other parts of the Cantabrian Mountains along with some reintroductions. The largest population there is in the mountains north of Riaño. It is also found in southern Galicia near the border with Portugal. In northern Portugal 100 or so survive in the Peneda-Gerês National Park which adjoins the larger population in southern Galicia. The Gredos Ibex has been reintroduced to several areas for hunting purposes.

The related Pyrenean Ibex (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) which once ranged across the Pyrenees, went extinct in 2000. In 2014 a small number of Western Spanish ibex were introduced to France's Pyrenees National Park. By 2020 the population had increased to 400 individuals in the national park and neighboring Ariège regional park.[2]

References
  1. Palomo and Gisbert 2002, Cabral et al. 2005, Moço et al. 2006, J. Herrero pers. comm. 2006|url=
  2. Agence France-Presse (2020). "Ibex population thrives in French Pyrenees a century after being wiped out". The Guardian, 3 September 2020. Accessed 4 September 2020.


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