A Nubian ibex kid that was carried by a hiker to park rangers at Masada after she found it alone may lead to the kid being abandoned by its mother, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority announced on Tuesday.
Approaching or touching ibexes can "stain" the animal, leading to the mother being unable to recognize her baby. The kid was returned to where it was found in hopes that the mother would continue to care for it.
The Nature and Parks Authority stressed that if someone sees a wild animal in distress, they should call the authority at *3639 or tell a nearby park ranger and should not go near the animal.
Female ibexes are usually able to birth one kid and as much as twins if she is more experienced and in good physical condition. While calving takes place in the spring, mating takes place in autumn, so the ibex "bets" in a way on whether there will be enough rain and therefore food to calve at all or to have one or two kids.
Kids have also been seen in forms of "kindergartens" where several female ibexes gather the goats and leave one or two females to look after them, while the others graze in more dangerous areas.
The rescue of ibexes from extinction and the existence of ibex populations throughout the Negev and Judean Desert is one of the most prominent achievements of nature conservation in Israel. At the time of the establishment of the State of Israel, a small number of ibexes remained in the Judean Desert, but, following conservation efforts, the population recovered and spread.