The chamois is the symbolic animal of the mountains in Bavaria. For hunters, foresters, mountaineers and hikers alike. Rupicapra rupicapra, as its scientific name is, is also a fascinating animal species. Chamois live high up in the mountains at altitudes over 2000 meters where it is steep and rocky. With their stocky physique and a weight of up to 50 kilograms, they appear rather clumsy at first glance. But that is deceptive. Chamois are extremely skilled climbers. Thanks to their spreadable hooves and elastic soles, they can jump up to two meters high and six meters wide. When they start sprinting, they reach speeds of 50 – on sloping terrain. This is probably why chamois have always stood for freedom in the mountains. Just like the chamois beard, which is made from the back hair of adult bucks and worn on a traditional hat, testifies to the dash of its owner.
In the Schliersee mountains and in the Berchtesgaden National Park, there is now a heated argument about the chamois. The association “Wild Bavaria” and its chairman Christine Miller, who see themselves as advocates for wild animals in the Free State, accuse both the forestry company Schliersee and the national park administration in Berchtesgaden of particularly ruthless hunting of chamois. “Slaughter festival at Schliersee?” is the title of a statement in which Miller accuses the Schliersee forestry company “that the holiday idyll around the Schliersee is to be transformed into a Bermuda triangle for chamois in the coming months”. The Berchtesgaden National Park administration accuses Miller of allowing chamois, red deer and roe deer to be shot in parts of the protected area “all year round while the statutory closed season is lifted”. She speaks of “scandalous goings-on”, “immense animal suffering” and a massive “endangerment of an internationally protected animal species”. Miller and her association have therefore filed a lawsuit against both the Schliersee forestry company and the Berchtesgaden National Park administration.
The forest company and the national park administration firmly reject the allegations. “To speak of an alleged ‘slaughter’ is completely misleading and has nothing to do with a serious discussion,” says the head of the Schliersee forestry operation, Jörg Meyer. “The Wildes Bayern club disqualifies itself with its dubious claims.” Daniel Müller also massively contradicts Miller’s allegations. He is responsible for hunting in the Berchtesgaden National Park. “We regulate our game stocks strictly according to applicable animal protection rules and only with professionally trained staff,” he says. National Park boss Roland Baier emphasizes that three quarters of the National Park area is completely closed for hunting all year round. “The national park is the largest quiet zone for wild animals in the Bavarian Alps.” The hunting concept of the national park is praised by wildlife biologists as a “model model” that takes the habitat requirements of wild animals into account as best as possible.
The problem: chamois not only eat grass and herbs, but also the shoots of young trees
The background to the dispute is that from the point of view of the foresters there is a problem with the chamois. The animals do not only eat grass and herbs. But also the shoots of the young trees in the mountain forests, so that they can no longer grow back properly. In areas with a particularly large number of chamois, the animals can quickly become a threat to the mountain forest, say the foresters. Especially for the protection forests. These forests are intended to protect towns, roads and other traffic routes from avalanches, mudslides and flash floods. Many protective forests in the Bavarian mountains have been so damaged over time that they can no longer fulfill their functions. So that they can do that again, the Free State is pumping millions of euros into their renovation. But the usual mountain forests aren’t doing really well either. Because the Free State does not want to jeopardize the previous successes in building stable mountain and, above all, protective forests, the chamois are being hunted down in so-called redevelopment areas. A total of around 4,000 chamois are shot in Bavaria every year.
The Schliersee forest company has drawn Miller’s wrath because he wants to have 550 chamois shot in the upcoming hunting season. In the last hunting year, 505 chamois were released for shooting there. Of course, the large number is put into perspective when you look at the area in which the animals are to be killed. It includes practically all Bavarian mountains between the Wendelstein in the east, the Achenpass in the west and the border to Tyrol in the south. That is an area of almost 25,000 hectares. Almost two thirds of the forests in the region are protective forests, and the foresters have to pay special attention to ensure that they thrive. More than half of the forests in the Berchtesgaden National Park are protective forests. They are concentrated on the outskirts of the protected area towards Berchtesgaden, Schönau and Ramsau.
In addition, National Park boss Baier points out that the chamois population in the protected area has been increasing steadily for 20 years. “Counting results prove that,” he says. “So there can be no question of a threat to the chamois.” Forest manager Meyer also has no indication that the number of chamois in the Schliersee mountains is declining. Meyer’s assessment coincides with a large-scale research project by the State Institute for Forestry and Forestry in Chiemgau and Karwendel. According to the first results, the chamois stocks in both regions are stable and secure. The Bavarian State Forests have also been counting chamois in the Bavarian mountains since 2020. However, meaningful results are not expected for four years.