The chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Cantabrian mountains, the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Rila – Rhodope massif, Pindus, the northeastern mountains of Turkey, and the Caucasus.[2] The chamois has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand. Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU under the European Habitats Directive.