Locking horns... at 13,000 feet: Mountain goats dice with death as they clash in Italian Alps

By Emma Reynolds

Gambar menunjukkan pertarungan maut dua ekor kambing gunung di puncak bukit batu yang curam, kira-kira di ketinggian 13,000 kaki di pergunungan Alps Itali
Andai tersalah langkah risikonya boleh menyebabkan kambing Capra Ibex ini terjatuh dan menemui ajal. Kelihatan seekor nak kambing sedang menonton momen itu.

Gambar ini dirakam oleh seorang fotografer berani, Marius Sabo
Sebelumnya, Sabo telah mengikuti kawanan kambing gunung itu hampir selama satu jam. Dia memanjat batu yang curam demi mencapai medan pertempuran dua binatang yang berani itu.

Sabo mengatakan, dua kambing itu tidak menyedari mereka tengah bertarung di tempat berbahaya,iaitu disebuah puncak gunung di Montasio.

"Saya sangat kagum dengan gambar ini dan bersyukur pada Tuhan atas kesempatan untuk mendapatkan gambar yang begitu indah ini," imbuhnya.

High and mighty: Two young mountain goats lock horns in a terrifying play-fight at 13,000ft, in preparation for the 'real' battles over females in December

In the ring: The awe-inspiring animals clash high above the clouds after their encounter began halfway up Montasio in the Italian Alps

One wrong move could have led to the reckless Capra ibex goats plunging thousands of feet to their deaths.

Mr Sabo said: " Saya telah mengambil gambar kambing gunung sejak 2004 lagi, tetapi ini merupakan pertama kali saya menyaksikan sesuatu yang sangat menakjubkan ", kata grafik designer kelahiran rumania yang beusia 38 tahun.

'They were living life on the edge. But they were young goats, maybe around three years old, practising their fighting skills. The real fighting begins in December when they will battle over females.

'The correlation with a boxing ring is unbelievable. At one point there was the two fighters in the ring and then the judge too. It was like a world title fight.'
The fighters had earlier tussled as they climbed up the steep rock, before reaching their final battleground in the clouds.