Europe Reintroduces Its Own Brand of Bison, Also Driven to Near Extinction
Europe Reintroduces Its Own Brand of Bison, Also Driven to Near Extinction
Amid all the bison buzz on Turtle Island, what with the National Bison Legacy Act having passed both houses of Congress and currently sitting on President Barack Obama’s desk, a lesser-known but parallel phenomenon is happening across the Pond.
European bison, known as wisent, were nearly wiped out in the early 20th century as they were mercilessly hunted and their habitat destroyed, according to the True Nature Foundation , a conservation group based in the Netherlands. Merely 3,000 or so survive today, most of them in captivity. But a new movement called Rewilding Europe is aiming to restore bison populations to their original range.
Eleven wisent were released into the Netherlands in March, according to National Geographic . During the last week of April. another 12 were released into Valdeserrillas nature reserve in Spain, in what the True Nature Foundation said was the largest bison reintroduction ever in Western Europe. It was a collaboration between True Nature and the European Bison breeding program of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
Seven of the wisent arrived early last week from Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland, the foundation said. Five more came from Howletts Wild Animal Park and Port Lympne Reserve in the United Kingdom on April 29. The Aspinall Foundation enabled the transport of the animals to from the UK to Spain, the foundation said.
“There are whole swathes of the European continent that were once the realm of the bison, and these latest exports from key members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s European Bison breeding program, the European Bison EEP, are a step towards repopulating the western limit of the species’ historical range,” said Douglas M Richardson, EAZA’s European Bison EEP coordinator, in a statement.
“We are delighted to be part of this rewilding initiative in Spain,” said Aspinall Foundation Chairman Damian Aspinall. “This is what real conservation is all about. Successfully breeding vulnerable and endangered animals in captivity is of no use, unless those animals can eventually be returned to the wild–where they belong.”
Plans are afoot to release even more bison into the wild next year throughout Spain and Europe, with the goal of “reinstating European ecosystems to their original and complete state,” said True Nature Foundation Chairman Henri Kerkdijk-Otten in the statement. “We hope it will mark the start of a fruitful, and long-lasting, cooperation between all the organizations involved in the breeding of the European bison.”
As it is on Turtle Island, “the bison is a majestic symbol of Europe’s wilderness,” said Tony King, of the Aspinall Foundation. “We are delighted that The Aspinall Foundation is helping bring it back to the Valdeserrillas Reserve. We will be following the bison closely as they discover their newfound freedom.”
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/05/02/europe-reintroduces-its-own-brand-bison-also-driven-near-extinction-164335
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Very exciting news. The European bison is taller and more rangy than it's American cousin. The horns are different with the European bison extending higher and more forward then the American bison.
They are being introduced through Western Europe and as far east as Russia.
A success story in the making.
Goggle European Bison and there are numerous links regarding the reintroduction in many areas of Europe.
The link about the Aurochs on the other article talks about the wisent, but didn't have a picture of them-- wow, they sure do look like a bison from here! Now, I can easily see how they are related...
GREAT thing to do!
They are amazing Dowser. You can see how close they resemble the American Bison.
Now I can see what they meant in the Wiki entry about how the American bison is a descendant of the European wisent... Twins, almost! Glad they have some, too!
More great news!
It really is a great thing Randy. Hopefully they will keep reintroducing.
It would take some genetic engineering but I would like to see them bring back the unicorn :
I've been told by very reliable sources that there are Unicorns in the Everglades.
I've only been in the everglades once in my life and didn't see any Unicorns. However I once did a hit of acid that...well...never mind.
You shouldn't listen to rumors spread by the python lobby ...
Pythons are good people.
Espcially Monty.
They're parrot murderers.
Actually Randy, the Seminole keep them well hidden deep in the Everglades.
This comes on good authority. Chief Osceola and his warriors ride them into battle. That's why the U.S. never defeated them. It's true without a shadow of a doubt.
It would be quite tough to defeat a man riding a Siberian Unicorn . Maybe if you had an elephant gun ...
It's a Unicorn petey, elephant guns don't work on them.
It would work if you were riding an elephant when you fired it ...
Depends on the caliber of Unicorn gun you were using.
Don't be silly . They didn't have guns back when there were unicorns ...
Totally cool. I'm looking forward to seeing them roaming there in the future!
What a grand sight that would be...Bison roaming Europe.