HIGHLY COMMENDED CATEGORY MAMMALS
Laura Becker | The Quest

Name: Laura Becker
Picture title: The Quest
Category: Mammals
Nationality: Germany
Occupation: Amateur photographer

Technical information
Camera: NIKON D500
Lens: Nikon 70-200/2.8
EXIF: 1/1000 2.8
Accessories: None

Laura Becker says:

Near my home in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland, there is a small colony of ibex. They were reintroduced in the middle of the 20th century after ibex were hunted to extinction in the 19th century in Switzerland.

While in summer, the male ibex spend most of their time separately, hidden in the lower woodlands, with the beginning of winter, the rutting season starts. The bucks make their way up to the higher plateau where the females stay with their young. They often walk quite long distances in their excitement, through heavy snow, following the females’ scent. But when the weather conditions are too harsh, they tend to stay hidden in the steep walls and are hard to find.

On this particular day, the lonesome male made his way all around the rocky cirque in search of the herd, but unfortunately, he didn’t succeed.

I thought the picture with the lone ibex, small in the frame, allowed me to show the harsh conditions bucks face during their rutting season, which coincides with often scarce food sources and deep snow, making long treks quite a strenuous quest.