The Himalayan Ibex - Monarchs of the Mountains

We reveal the extraordinary lives of the Himalayan Ibex in the stunning high-altitude desert landscape of the trans-Himalayas region of North India.

With its majestic horns and beards, the Himalayan Ibex is a large, well-built subspecies of the Siberian Ibex that lives in the arid mountains well above the tree line, between 3500 m and 5000 m. It shares the same habitat as snow leopards and is their favourite food. The realm of the ibex is so harsh and inaccessible that most wildlife photographers have been discouraged. Fascinated by these beautiful goats, the pioneer Indian nature photographer Rajesh Bedi embarks on a journey to photograph them. For two years, he braves the inhospitable terrain and bitterly cold weather to record their unique behaviour, including the courtship displays of tongue-flapping, fights for dominance, giving birth on inaccessible cliffs, and the playing between juvenile Ibex - kids.