Alpine flora & fauna in Hohe Tauern national park

The flowery alpine meadows have often fed the inspiration of poets and painters alike. But they do not come for free! First of all, water is needed, for without water life is impossible. High in the Alps, melting glaciers act as faithful suppliers of water. Depending on the soil type, altitude and climate, plants show us what is possible. There is a lively interaction between the different elements in nature. Removing a tiny link from the chain, for instance by polluting the soil, water or air, may quickly spell danger for the frail flowers that are now seen blooming. There it is, the ibex, another resident of these mountain tops. Efforts have been undertaken to introduce these special animal to the Alps again. Hunting had made the ibex all but extinct. The origins of the animal lie in Asia, but after the Riss ice age - thousands of years ago - it ended up in the Alps. The male lives separately from the female. They only meet in the December and January mating season. The females also have horns, though these are much smaller than those of the rams. They usually have one calf, but sometimes the female may give birth to two. There are currently some 400 ibexes in the Hohe Tauern. Info HighRes Imagery: http://www.stockshot.nl/ © All Rights reserved by Fauna Film B.V. http://www.faunafilm.nl