The behaviour of Alpine marmots (Marmota m. marmota) under different hiking pressures [Le comportement des marmottes alpines sous différentes pressions de randonnées].

Résumé

In the region of Grindelwald/First in the Swiss alps some behavioural aspects of alpine marmots were studied under different hiking pressures. Due to the stop of the chair-lift in the studysite, the two situations of high and low hiking pressure could be compared. It was found that different hiking pressures have a distinct impact on the behaviour of alpine marmots, in terms of a different amount of animals staying out of their burrows and also of a different amount of animals foraging. In an other analysis the distances of the marmots from the hiking path in the early morning, before the first hikers appear, were compared with those later in the morning, when the hiking path is highly frequented. The results showed that early in the morning the animals stay closer to the hiking path than later in the morning, under a high hiking pressure.