Walia Ibex

Nowhere else in the world is the habitat of the Walla Ibex except the high Semen, Ethiopia’s drama-tic Mountain terrain They are sturdy built animals found only in Ethiopia They stand about a meter high at the shoulder and weighing into 120 kgs Their beautiful chocolate to chestnut brown coats shade to greyish brown around the muzzle , paler grey around the eyes, lower flanks, legs and rump shade to greyish brown around the muzzle, paler grey around the eyes, lower flanks, legs and rump and pale grey or white on the belly and inside of the legs. There is a black stripe down on the outside of the legs and a white garter on each fetlock broken in the hind legs by a black streak into the cleft of the hoof. Mature males sport an elegant black heard the tail is short with a brush like tuft of black hairs

The males and the females both have horns, but the males’ are more massive Curving back in a graceful arc to the withers, they sometimes attain a length of over 110 cms, The females are smaller in body and lighter in color with-shorter thinner horns They live in small parties of two to half a dozen and the big old males often jive solitary except during the mating season The female can have one or two kids at a time.

They eat grass and herbs, but prefer to browse rather than graze, standing up on their hind legs like domestic goats to reach the tender shoots of giant heath, they usually lie up in caves or thickets during the day.

As the research conducted before fifteen years indicated, the total number remaining alive was estimated at less than two hundred This is due to indiscriminate hunting in search of their meat and horn, and destruction of habitat by local people that up to now might have resulted in complete extinction of the species if the Ethiopian government had not taken the proper major.