The ibex is a species of wild goat and serves as the symbol of protected areas.

Since the Middle Ages, it has been a highly coveted prey, but over time, several nations realized that it was nearing extinction. By the late 1500s, in what was then the Swiss Confederation of eight cantons, the last ibex was documented to have been killed. A century later, in the 1600s, Bavaria also realized that ibex populations were dwindling, and by the end of the 1700s, the species was considered extinct in Austria and Slovenia as well. The only place where it survived was in the Gran Paradiso area.

In 1765, the Kingdom of Sardinia (now part of modern Italy) was ruled by King Charles Felix, who issued a royal decree to allow the king to hunt ibex, as hunting was otherwise prohibited in the kingdom. The following year, to curb poaching, a forestry administration was established to protect the forests, and around 150 guards were hired to protect the area and prevent the further decline of the ibex population.

After his death, his nephew, Charles Albert, succeeded him and renewed his uncle's decision. In 1856, the Gran Paradiso was declared a hunting reserve, though only the monarch and his family were allowed to hunt there.

His heir, Victor Emmanuel II, known as the "hunter king," established a hunting reserve, which eventually expanded into a network of protected areas. Unfortunately, his successor's son, Victor Emmanuel III, known as the "soldier king," had no interest in hunting when he inherited the throne. As a result, the utilitarian purpose of the reserve diminished, and the lands were donated to the state.

He believed that these lands would help reduce the war debt from the colonial conquest campaigns, but instead, the state decided to establish the Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy’s first national park, adopting the ibex as its symbol.

This historical episode marked the beginning of the establishment of national parks.