bucks and six does) to the colony. They arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, on 23 January 1907, on board the SS Turakina. From Wellington the chamois were transhipped to the Manaroa and conveyed to Lyttelton, then by rail to Fairlie in South Canterbury and a four-day horse trek to Mount Cook. The first surviving releases were made in the Aoraki / Mount Cook region and these animals gradually spread over much of the South Island. In New Zealand, chamois hunting is unrestricted and even encouraged by the Department of Conservation to limit the animal's impact on New Zealand's native alpine flora. New Zealand chamois tend to weigh about 20% less than European individuals of the same age, suggesting that food supplies may be limited. Hunting and wildlife management As their meat is considered tasty, chamois are popular game animals. Chamois have two traits that are exploited by hunters: the first is that they are most active in the morning and evening when they feed; the second is that they tend to look for danger originating from below, which means that a hunter stalking chamois from above is less likely to be observed and more likely to be successful. The tuft of hair from the back of the neck, the gamsbart (chamois "beard"), is traditionally worn as a decoration on hats throughout the alpine countries. Chamois leather Chamois leather, traditionally made from the hide of the chamois, is very smooth and absorbent and is favoured in cleaning, buffing, and polishing because it produces no scratching. Modern chamois leather may be made from chamois hides, but hides of deer or domestic goats or sheep are commonly used. Chamois fabric A fabric known as chamois is made variously from cotton flannel, PVA, Viscose, and other materials with similar qualities. It is napped to produce a plush surface similar to moleskin or chamois leather. See also Cantabrian chamois Pyrenean chamois Tatra chamois References External links ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) report for the species Chamois New Zealand Chamois and their distribution in New Zealand Chamois is the logo for the French ski manufacturer - Duret Caprids Mammals of Europe Mammals of New Zealand Mammals of Western Asia Mammals of Azerbaijan Mammals of Russia Fauna of Italy Mammals described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus