The Pyrenean ibex was one of 4 subspecies of the Spanish ibex. They formed their own distinct population between 7,000 & 15,000 years ago. The bucardo lived throughout the Pyrenees Mountains & were able to avoid most of their natural predators by scaling steep mountainsides, but humans proved a much harder obstacle to overcome. Running straight up the mountainside made them easy prey for hunters with guns. Their abundant numbers began to drop in the 1700's & 1800's due to pressure from hunting. In 1825, the Pyrenean ibex was deemed on the cusp of extinction. This only made hunters pursue them with greater persistence. National Game Reserves were established in the 1950s and 1960s which helped save the remaining ibexes. In 1973, the Pyrenean ibex was declared protected. In 1993, a management plan was created to save the remaining ten bucardo. The last female, Celia, was captured in 1999 by Spanish biologists. Celcia was killed by a fallen tree branch the following year. 2000 marked the extinction of the Pyrenean ibex...for the first time. Could the Pyrenean ibex live in the Pyrenees Mountains today? Although Jurassic Park is fiction, scientists are working on several de-extinction projects. In fact, in 2003 scientists did bring back the extinct Pyrenean ibex for 7 minutes, though the baby died due to a lung illness. The Pyrenean ibex is a good candidate to be brought back from extinction for a second time. Scientists would potentially use DNA from Celia, the last bucardo again. The trouble would be creating a male, so that there could be a viable breeding population. Hunters may be the key to solving this issue. Because the Pyrenean ibex was a target of trophy hunters for centuries, many ibex specimens exist in private collections. If the Pyrenean ibex was brought back could it thrive once more in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain & France? This is hard to say. For almost 100 years, the population of Pyrenean ibexes never exceeded 40 individuals even with protection. The bucardo would still need to share grazing areas with livestock in their home range, and there would be a risk of them contracting diseases from the horses, goats, and cows they'd be grazing near. This was thought to be the biggest reason for their decline in the first place. However, the efforts of saving the Alpine ibex in Northern Italy may offer hope for the bucardo. The Alpine ibex was originally protected in Italy by King Vittorio Emmanuele II, who loved to hunt the ibex. By declaring a section of Northern Italy the King's forest, poaching there ended and the Alpine ibex herds grew to 3,000 individuals. That land was made into Italy's First Nation Park, Gran Paradisio National Park. The efforts were so successful that herds have been reintroduced into Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, & Bulgaria. Because the Pyrenean ibex was brought back from extinction in 2003, the question remains, "Should science bring back these species?" Some would argue that pouring money and effort into de-extinction, the focus is taken off saving endangered species and protecting the natural environments. So if the Pyrenean ibex was returned to the mountains of France & Spain, would it be able to once again thrive there?