Die Alpen-Gämse

In quietude, we have bid farewell to the chamois, not only in terms of spelling but also in essence. In their place, two new chamois have emerged: the Alpine chamois and the Pyrenean chamois. We are on an expedition with biologist and nature photographer Peter W. Baumann. Through his camera, we witness the chamois during mating, birth, and death, the lynx hunting chamois, and the bucks in combat. The book reveals the life of the chamois through stunning color photographs and thematic short texts. The photos and their explanations alone provide a well-rounded image of the chamois. Together with the background texts, they offer a key to understanding the behavior of the chamois as a species in light of current knowledge. The life and behavior of chamois still hold many undiscovered aspects: for instance, their regular activity at midnight has only recently come to light. Chamois also recognize each other personally, but science is still far from proving this. In early summer, chamois establish nurseries, a fact barely mentioned in previous chamois books. Mountain ridges play an important role in the lives of chamois. Ultimately, however, life in the mountain habitat is a balancing act: significant investments in the next generation of chamois often push the parents to the limits of their capabilities or even out of balance.