After its end, the whole species consisted of a handful of animals in Bialowieza forest, Poland. Luckily, Polish conservationists and authorities recognized the significance of these animals from the start and the population successfully grew to over animals.
Since then, a minute breeding system and register have been established in Europe and bisons exist again in many European countries. However, especially in Western Europe, most bisons live in captivity.
While the species trend is positive and most populations grow, reintroducing bisons back into the wild has proven a challenge in many places. In Central Europe, reintroduction has been rathersuccessful. The largest population with over animals still exists in Bialowieza. But there are over free-roaming bisons in Poland now, split into seven populations.
Further east, in Belarus and Russia, several populations have also established again. There are also large herds living again in the Carpathians — in Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. Unfortunately, these are all still separate populations with no exchange or interaction between them.
They are the result of reintroduction projects and natural dispersal is still rare. Other than the wolf or brown bear, which are reclaiming Europe without any human intervention, bisons to do not roam hundreds of kilometers in the search for a mating partner or a new territory. One of the few signs of dispersal of bisons was a bison that wandered from Poland to Germany. After its first sighting, it was shot within days.
In Western Europe, the groups of bisons are much smaller and spread out. And other countries want to follow. A reintroduction project is underway in Switzerland and there is even a project to introduce bison in England , not too far from the biggest metropolis of Europe, London.
While the steppe bison was present in England until the Holocene, the Euroopean bison never populted the island. The breeding success of most of these projects is remarkable. The herds are growing each year, but the projects are much fewer and smaller than in Central Europe. Many of them live in confined areas, some even with fencing and additional feeding. So what is the reason? Is our modern landscape unsuitable for bisons to survive without human support?
Bisons have been reintroduced to forests, grasslands and dunes. The populations are healthy and growing in all of these places. But it does not rely on an already open area, it can create its own habitat. In many reintroduction areas, the bisons hold areas opened up by logging, windfall or fire open and thus create the grassland they need.
So, is the problem inbreeding — after all, the whole extant species decents from a few individuals? Again, no. It is true that the gene pool is very small. But the breeding system for the European bison is one of the most elaborate and detailed in the world. Other factors play a role. Unlike wolfs or brown bears, which are reclaiming Europe without any human intervention, bisons to do not roam hundreds of kilometers in the search for a mating partner or a new territory. And if they do, they are not quite as elusive.
They are also not protected like these two species. While they are protected in the EU under the Habitat Directive, there is no international protection of the bison. Their dense coat is dark to golden brown in colour and is less bushy than that of the American bison. Both sexes have short horns that project outwards and then curve upwards. European bison prefer a woodland habitat where they live in small herds browsing on leaves and other vegetation.
Most of the year the cows and calves will form a herd, which will be joined by bulls around July, leading up to the rut between August and October. This is when disputes between bulls can occur and occasionally result in serious injuries such as deep wounds and broken bones.
Most of the time however, fighting will consist more of threatening postures and bellowing. Most of the calves are born between May and July and are able to run only a few hours after birth. Calves will remain with the herd until they reach sexual maturity at years of age. When food is plentiful, adult males may consume 32kg of food a day.
Their diet varies according to the seasons and as well as grasses and sedges, also includes tree foliage, bark, mosses, fungi and herbaceous plants. Bison need to drink every day and in winter can be seen breaking ice with their heavy hooves. The bison primarily is a grass eater, but an important part of their diet also comes from browsing of bushes, bramble and trees. Bison eat up to 60 kg per day and have real impact on the vegetation, keeping open lands open and creating a mosaic landscape.
Besides grazing in the front end, it tramples in the middle, wallows in mud holes, rolls in sandpits that it has kicked up, and then fertilizes from its rear end. All of which has great importance to the variety of ecosystems. It is evident that the European bison is an ecosystem engineer; a keystone species that plays an important role in European landscapes and facilitates a wide variety of other species through its behaviour.
Apart from its important ecological role in European nature, Rewilding Europe believes that European bison can make a positive change for rural development in remote corners of Europe experiencing rural depopulation and land abandonment. This is why we have chosen the bison as one of the flagship species for our rewilding activities. In , we published the Bison Rewilding Plan — , in which we outline our planned contribution to European bison conservation.
So far more than 80 bison have been brought to the area; with the critical support of local communities, we are gradually building up the free-roaming population. In , a herd of seven European bison began roaming free here for the first time since the Middle Ages — these keystone animals , which are already starting to attract visitors, are not only helping to enhance wild nature, but helping in the development of local nature-based tourism.
It is vitally important to select the right animals for reintroduction in terms of genetics. Rewilding Europe and partners are carefully breeding European bison in a number of locations. Together with bison originating from European zoos and wildlife parks, these animals are used for reintroductions. As of June , bison were in the bank and over 70 bison were roaming free in the Southern Carpathians and Rhodope Mountains rewilding areas , exploring their new home. To keep track of the European bison reintroduced into the Southern Carpathians rewilding area , GPS collars have been fitted to animals in different herds mostly leading cows.
Bison rangers continually monitor these bison, helping us to better understand their daily and seasonal movements. This allows us to anticipate possible conflicts with local communities for instance, if animals come too close to villages , as well as enabling bison tracking safaris offered through the European Safari Company. When it comes to reintroducing animals as physically imposing as European bison, ensuring people can live alongside them in a safe and harmonious way can sometimes be a challenge.
Bison are a big drawcard for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts. Local guides have also set up a fly camp. Portraying the acceptance of bison by people in the area, and their changing perceptions of wild nature, the film demonstrates why the positive involvement of local communities is so critical to the success of rewilding efforts.
A symbol for Europe Many people connect bison with wide, open spaces of North America, where the animals used to roam in their tens of millions before being hunted to near extinction. Back into the wild After the Ice Age, man hunted the bison so intensively that it was forced into the most remote corners of Europe. Potential and need for population growth Thanks to the work of many organisations, zoos and breeding centres, scientists and individuals, the bison was rescued from extinction.
What we are doing. A hairy beast that keeps landscapes open Resembling its North American cousin, the European bison is less shaggy, with a more lanky body shape and curved horns. Bison Rewilding Plan Apart from its important ecological role in European nature, Rewilding Europe believes that European bison can make a positive change for rural development in remote corners of Europe experiencing rural depopulation and land abandonment.
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