Reactions of male alpine chamois Rupicapra r. rupicapra to hikers, joggers and mountainbikers

From June to October 1993 we investigated the responses of male alpine chamois Rupicapra r. rupicapra to hiking, jogging and mountainbiking in the Augstmatthorn game reserve (Bernese Oberland, Switzerland). Thirty-two experiments were carried out by single persons hiking, jogging or riding a mountainbike on a trail crossing a pasture preferred by the animals for browsing. Median alert and escape distances were 180 and 103 m, respectively and did not differ between types of experiment. Distance fled was influenced both by time of day and by type of experiment. Thus, late in the morning the responses of chamois to joggers and mountainbikers were slightly stronger than responses to hikers. After all types of experiment, fewer chamois stayed in the pastures of the study area than before. Habitat use of the animals was affected by all three activities: male chamois left areas near the hiking trail.