In Europe, the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) was on the brink of extinction in the 19th century. Therefore, different conservation measures were implemented, and several reintroductions were made in the Alpine arc, starting from the only surviving population in Gran Paradiso, Italy. An extreme historical bottleneck and additional reintroductions have strongly shaped the genetic make-up of recent populations, resulting in significant genetic drift and profound inbreeding across the species range. To support science-based conservation actions, molecular methods have been increasingly used. However, such analyses did not include populations in Slovenia.We analysed neutral loci (partial fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b, mtDNA) and the adaptive major histocompatibility complex (MHC DRB exon 2) of the Alpine ibex from both Slovenian populations (Julian and Kamnik-Savinja Alps) to understand how past reintroductions and recent management have affected the genetic diversity of the species. Results showed that both populations are genetically severely depleted, carrying only one mtDNA haplotype and one functional allele for MHC DRB exon 2, Caib-DRB*01. This calls for further conservation actions, including the reintroduction of individuals with different genetic background. However, the Alpine ibex is currently considered a non-native species in Slovenia, which makes conservation actions extremely difficult and threatens the longterm survival of the species. Therefore, scientists and population managers are urging policy/decision makers to change the status of the species to the native one and consequently to allow reintroductions. These appeals are supported by previous archaeological data on the existence of bones assigned to Alpine ibex in the Julian Alps, and evidence of severe genetic depletion in current ibex populations confirmed in this study.

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Slovenian Veterinary Research

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University of Ljubljana Press