AKIPRESS.COM - A group of tourists encountered a herd of alpine ibex in the Ala Archa Gorge outside Bishkek on the weekends. 

The animals were not frightened by the people and let the tourists approach some 10 meters, after that they slowly disappeared in the mountains, the tourists said.

Environmentalist Alexander Sosnovsky said the Central Asian ibex is robust, has short legs, strong hooves allowing to cling to the smallest rock ledges.

"In spring and summer time, herds of male and female ibex stay away from each other. The females with their cubs try to hide in the unreachable rocks, while the males descend lower to feast on green motley grasses. Males are adorned with large horns that grow throughout their lives reaching 1 meter by age 7 and 120 centimeters by age 10. With age, the growth of the horns slows down. The ibex can weigh 100-120 kilograms, the body length may reach more than 1.5 meters," said Sosnovsky.