On the trail of the ibex

A small permanent exhibition about the ibex, going on hunting trips and enjoying the culinary specialities of the region are all part of the experience on the Schamserberg.

There were ibex living in what is now Switzerland as much as 18,000 years ago. Following the introduction of hunting with firearms, the proud beast was more and more persecuted and 200 years ago there were no ibex left in the Swiss Alps.

100 years later, the ibex began to return to Switzerland – young animals were smuggled to Switzerland from the Gran Paradiso National Park in Italy. At first they only lived in zoos, but today there are 15,000 animals living in the wild in Switzerland. Since 1977 controlled hunting of the species has been allowed again.

The reintroduction of the ibex was Switzerland's first animal conservation project.