The Walia ibex Ethiopia’s iconic wild goat found only on the cliffs of the Simien Mountains, is once again on the brink of extinction after a steep drop in numbers over the past decade, a new study warns.
Researchers recorded a decline from 865 individuals in 2015 to just 306 in 2024, with fewer than 250 mature animals remaining a threshold that qualifies the species as critically endangered under IUCN Red List criteria.
The fall has been linked to the combined impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021–2022 Tigray war, which disrupted park protection efforts, cut tourism income, and strained community relations. This, experts say, has opened the door to poaching, with snares and carcasses discovered in recent years.
Once listed as endangered, the Walia ibex had been downlisted to vulnerable in 2020 following years of growth, but scientists now say that optimism was misplaced and based on outdated data. Lead researcher Paul Scholte is calling for urgent reclassification and action.
Conservationists recommend ramping up annual surveys, building a photographic database of individual ibexes, and working with local communities to safeguard the species. A new action plan is being drafted to turn the tide for Ethiopia’s rare mountain dweller.