At Cingino Dam – located 7 kilometres (4 mi) southwest of Antrona Schieranco, Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in Piedmont, Italy – you will find some Alpine ibex wild goats climbing its wall. The Cingino Dam is just about vertical. It is 160 feet high and these wild goats climb almost to the top of it. This species of goat lives in the European Alps, it has split hooves with rubber like soles. They are exceptional climbers…but to see them climb this vertical wall is absolutely stunning!
Why would they do it? Their diet, which consists mostly of grass, gives them a major salt craving.
Coincidentally, the wall of Italy’s Cingino Dam is built with salt encrusted stones – with the really good, salty stone blocks near the top of the dam. So in order to get to these mineral rich salts, these goats do what looks to be impossible…they climb a vertical wall.