Current at 11/6/2011 (Online waypoint URL) You have already found this cache! Master Index    Nearest Caches 'Alp! 'Alp! by Flotsom and Jetsom (2/1.5) (Archived) N49� 52.349  W97� 14.452 (WGS84) UTM  14U   E 626402  N 5525937 Use waypoint: GC1B8VC Size: Small    Hidden on 4/15/2008 In Manitoba, Canada Difficulty:     Terrain:                       This cache is one of a series placed in collaboration with the Zoological Society of Manitoba as a part of the Endangered Species Cache Game. The Cache is in the Assiniboine Park Zoo. There is a nominal entrance fee. You can download the game sheet at www.mbgeocaching.ca or obtain one from the Zoo Shop Alp! Alp! Hunted for food by golden eagles, bears, wolves and leopards, this Eurasian goat, the ibex, has also been hunted to near extinction by humans. In ancient times, the kings of Persia and Egypt kept ibex. It would take a king to save this surefooted animal from the slippery slope of extinction. The Alpine Ibex are related to cattle, antelopes and goats and live in the alpine meadows and slopes of the Alps of Europe. Other races of the ibex occur in deserts from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia, and mountain slopes from Afghanistan and Russia to Mongolia. Their diet consists of grasses and broad-leaved plants. The alpine race was once endangered but has recovered. Certain other races are endangered. With a thickset body, draping mane and long curved horns, the ibex assumes a majestic pose while standing alert on an exposed rocky crag. The male ibex weighs up to 117 kg and his sweeping ringed horns may reach 140 cm. These are used in head butting to determine dominance and in combat during the mating season. Ibex breed about December and give birth to one or two offspring in May to July. The young are able to nurse and walk within minutes and, remarkably, can bound and leap along with the parent over rough terrain within days. Originally ranging throughout the Alps, the alpine ibex was hunted almost to extinction in Europe by 1850 – the sole survivors being a few dozen animals in a royal preserve of the King of Italy. With protection, this population grew to the point where animals were re-introduced into the wild in Switzerland in 1911. The current population of alpine ibex numbers over 15,000 in Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria.

Additional Hints (There are no hints for this cache)

2/1/2009 by Kabuthunk
[This cache probably put up a fight more than any of the other caches at the Zoo. Well... except of course for my DNF . But yeah... I'm actually very surprised that A) it was still there, and B) I found it.

I started off heading here from way over at the "Lion Down on the Prairies" cache. I think technically, this was after I had re-crossed my previous path, making for about 3/4 of my figure-8 circuit around the Zoo. When I arrived, there was only one other couple in the area, who happened to be at the time passing pretty much right beside where the coordinates were taking me. I slowed down my pace a fair amount, and waited for them to meander off. At that point, I kicked into gear!

Aaaand come to think of it, I'm going to encrypt most of the rest, since it may or may not give hints. Unencrypt at your own risk people.]

The coordinates seemed to be taking me to pretty much on the path (or slightly off of it), making for several potential hiding spots. My very first search ended up taking to where the cache was actually SUPPOSED to be (more on that later). However, not seeing anything after circling around a bit, I abandoned that spot and went towards the fire-hydrant. Alas, nothing magnetted to said hydrant. I figured it'd be a ridiculously long-shot, but I also checked that pipe-thing next to the hydrant, since it wasn't frozen shut. Yeeaaah, nothing geocache-related in there, I can tell you that for certain. Not sure what the purpose of that is, but it's pretty disgusting in there. So note for future cachers... don't bother with that... since I'm pretty certain people aren't supposed to be messing with that to begin with .

Anyway, the next spot I tried was similar to the first spot, but on the other side of the trail. I once again circled around it a bit, and came up with nothing. Thinking the coordinates could be off (although it would require them to be REALLY far off), I went up closer to the Alpine Ibex area, and searched the benches and railings. Yeah, nothing. I figured it was a long-shot, so I wasn't too surprised by my lack of locating anything. I decided to circle the original spot again, and quickly made my way back to the hydrant. Digging around, I was hoping to find something under the lower rim of it. Nnnnope, nothing. Even checked that metal pipe thing again. Yyyep, still nothing. I wasn't about to dig around in there though .

Ok, last ditch effort time. Still noone nearby (although one zoo-truck drove by while I was near a tree... he didn't seem to even slow down or notice me). I wandered back to ye olde' original spot and circled it some more. At that point... I noticed it. Could that be... an S-hook? Why yes... yes it is!

[Being fairly certain I came across the right area, I quickly began digging around in the snow. First with my feet, and then I crouched down and started shoveling away snow with my gloves. Not long after, my hand struck something solid. Pulling it free from it's frozen state on the ground, I quickly discovered I had found the cache ! I quickly signed and chainmail-balled it, and closed it up as best I could. The 'outer camouflage' seems a bit bent out of shape due to it's time on the ground (completely unknown how long it's been there... sometime after October anyway, when the logbook was replaced.) I closed it up as best I could, and replaced it where it was supposed to be.

You may want to double-check on the connection method for this cache... I get the feeling this could happen again in the future . But thanks for the cache... I ESPECIALLY wanted to find this one after seeing it's name, since this cache is at the very top of the list on 'Cachemate' in my palm pilot, due to the name .

Took: Nothing
Left: Logbook entry, chainmail ball, and cache in correct place again .]