Rewilding European Bison

AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE FOR EUROPEAN BISON CONSERVATION

Bison break from tier 3 lockdown to be re-homed in the wild

2020 has been an unusual year for The Apinall Foundation's conservation work. Two national lockdowns and the current Tier 3 lockdown facing Kent, have slowed down our efforts to bring endangered animals back to the wild. But Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve has pulled out all the stops to ensure one of their European bison can be re-homed back in the wild in Romania before Christmas.

On Tuesday 15th December 2020, a male European bison born in captivity at Port Lympne started his epic 1400+ mile journey from the UK to the Făgăraș Mountains in Romania. The Bison will pass through seven countries in less than 48 hours aboard an 11-meter cattle truck accompanied by a skeleton team.

The transfer is coordinated by The Aspinall Foundation and the foundation Fundația Conservation Carpathia and is part of the ongoing European Bison Reintroduction Project in the region of the Carpathian Mountains. The project foresees the repopulation with wild bison of different sites in Romania, among which the Natura 2000 site (RO SCI 0381 Raul Targului-Argesel-Rausor) where our bison is being transferred to preserve the species.

The move will contribute bison to the ambitious project to bring back Europe’s largest land mammal to the Făgăraș Mountains, 200 years after they were hunted to extinction in the region.

Due to the current pandemic, the work of The Aspinall Foundation’s Back to the Wild programme has had to be scaled back considerably. As a result, the rehoming of the bison will be only the second time this year that the team have been able to return animals from their UK parks back to their natural habitats. The move has also faced considerable challenges as a result of the current travel restrictions, underlining the comittment from The Aspinall Foundation in perservering to make this goal a reality.

After successfully reintroducing in the wild two cheetah in South Africa in the summer of 2020, today we can celebrate another important milestone for The Aspinall Foundation with the European bison on his way to freedom.

European bison released in Romania by The Aspinall Foundation conservation charity

European Bison from Port Lympne Reserve released in Romania

Rewilding European bison to preserve the species

The wild population of European bison were hunted to extinction in 1927. They only survived in captivity.

In 2003, The Aspinall Foundation stepped in to restore this iconic species working together with Vanatori Neamt Nature Park Administration (VNNP) in Romania to reintroduce captive-bred individuals in the Făgăraș Mountains. In 2014, a group of six female European bison left the UK for a life of freedom in the forests of Romania. Three came from our parks at Port Lympne and Howletts, two from Fota in Ireland and one from the Highland Wildlife Park, Scotland.

Since then, our bison have produced 5 calves and have played a vital role in returning the species to their rightful home. If it hadn’t been for a successful captive breeding programme co-ordinated across participating zoos and wildlife parks these magnificent animals would have become extinct.

Protecting the European bison

The Romanian European bison reintroduction project

The collaboration with Fundația Conservation Carpathia

Partner organisations

Protecting the European bison

The European bison (Bison bonasus), also known as wisent, is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Two subspecies are recognized (IUCN 2020), the lowland (Bison bonasus bonasus) and the Caucasian (Bison bonasuscaucasicus).

The former went extinct in the wild in 1919, and the latter in 1927. All European bison living today are descendents of a small number of captive individuals held at a few European zoos, totalling 54 individuals in captivity in 1924. There are now over 7,000 captive and wild European bison spread across Europe, all descended from 12 founder genotypes.

The 2004 European bison action plan recommends further reintroductions with the goal of reaching 3,000 free-ranging animals.

The Romanian European bison reintroduction project

The initiative of reintroduction of European bison in Romania started within a GEF - World Bank Project, 'Biodiversity Conservation Management Project', implemented from 1999-2006, implemented by the Vanatori Neamt Nature Park Administration (VNNP). The scope is the improvement of the status of the European bison species through establishing a viable bison herd in the Romanian Carpathians, obtaining benefits for local communities, public awareness, etc.

Technical studies undertaken by the Romanian Forest Research Institute- ICAS (1994) and The Zoological Society of London (1998) revealed the suitability of the Vanatori Neamt Nature Park to support a viable free bison population.

The first release of European bison in Romania occurred in the VNNP in 2012, with additional releases at this site annually since then. The programme subsequently expanded to additional sites within the Romanian Carpathians, including the Țarcu, Poiana Ruscăi and most recently the Făgăraș Mountains.

The collaboration with Fundația Conservation Carpathia

The project of Fundația Conservation Carpathia is to re-establish a viable, self-sustaining population of European bison in the Făgăraș Mountains in Romania as part of the Romanian European bison reintroduction project. The Aspinall Foundation's mission meets the objectives of the reintroduction of European bison in the wild, hence the collaboration is beneficial for the preservation of the bison's species.

Partner organisations

Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC, or Fundația Conservation Carpathia): founded in 2009, it aims to create a world-class wilderness reserve in the Southern Romanian Carpathians. The project consists of the wider Făgăraș Mountains Natura 2000 site, Piatra Craiului National Park and Leaota Mountain.

The European Bison EEP (EAZA Ex Situ Programme) of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) is coordinated by Douglas Richardson and affiliated with Jersey Zoo.

Read more about our work in Europe

Our conservation work in Europe

The Aspinall Foundation is actively involved in a European project for the conservation of the European bison species.

European bison update 2019

It is exactly five years ago that a group of six female European bison left the UK for a life of freedom in the forests of Romania.

Support our work

Reintroductions in the wild such as this are at the heart of the work carried out by The Aspinall Foundation. Without the help and donations of our supporters all of this would not be possible.

Donate

Why Romania?

To join the new European bison reintroduction programme in the Făgăraș Mountains in the southern Carpathian Mountains of Romania, managed by Fundația Conservation Carpathia (FCC).

Where in Romania is he going?

The final release area is in the Natura 2000 site, RO SCI 0381 Raul Targului-Argesel-Rausor. The bison is going to a gentleman called Adrian Aldea at a foundation called - Fundația Conservation Carpathia, Șoseaua Cristianului 12, Brașov 500053, Romania.

Why now?

The first 11 bison were released in the Făgăraș Mountains in spring 2020. Additional bison are being sourced for subsequent spring releases from 2021 to 2023 at least.

How is he traveling? What will the journey be?

The bison is travelling in an 11-meter cattle truck and monitored by our team.

Upon arrival at the Făgăraș Mountains, the bison will be transported directly to the pre-release enclosure. The bison will be provided with significant supplementary feeding within the pre-release enclosure, and will be assessed to ensure that he has not sustained any injuries during transport, is feeding well, and that no health issues have manifested themselves due to the stress of transport and acclimatisation to the new area and diet. The bison will be released in spring. Unrelated female bison will be sourced from elsewhere for release in the same area.

Is the journey going to be more difficult because of the current travel restrictions?

Yes there are obviously longer customs waiting times, testing is more difficult to conduct due to labs being complete over run with COVID-19 testing, as well as the fact that we carry out rigorous export testing to ensure that our animals carry nothing potentially harmful to the wild so the tests can only be carried out at a very select few specialist labs across Europe so we must consider the extra postage times of samples due to COVID-19 and Christmas period.

How much will the move cost?

Overall including transport, testing, paperwork the initial cost of the transport will be approximately £13,500.

What is the conservation value of the move?

The move will contribute bison to the ambitious project to bring back Europe’s largest land mammal to the Făgăraș Mountains, 200 years after they were hunted to extinction in the region. The bison reintroduction is just one element of a major conservation and rewilding programme run by FCC in the Făgăraș Mountains. This project is building on previous and ongoing programmes elsewhere in the Romanian Carpathians, to restore wilderness and reintroduce the European bison. The first reintroduction of European bison in Romania was in the Vanatori Neamt Nature Park in north-eastern Romania, with the first release in 2012 and subsequent releases annually ever since, including the six females from Howletts, Port Lympne, Fota and Kingussie in 2014. The success of the VNNP project has facilitated the expansion of the national bison reintroduction programme to other sites in the Romanian Carpathians, with the most recent being the Făgăraș Mountains project.

How regular are these types of moves?

These types of moves are not particularly regular although we have done a few and other facilities has started to get involved more recently too.

Details of any partners involved

Foundation Conservation Carpathia, Romania, was founded in 2009 and aims to create a world-class wilderness reserve in the Southern Romanian Carpathians, large enough to support significant numbers of large carnivores and to allow natural evolutionary processes to thrive. The project consists of the wider Făgăraș Mountains Natura 2000 site, Piatra Craiului National Park and Leaota Mountain and forms a total of over 250,000 ha. The project purchases land and hunting rights with both private and public money in order to protect all the area’s natural resources and wildlife. FCC’s ultimate intention is to return its landholdings to the public domain for permanent protection in the form of a national park. The Aspinall Foundation and the European Bison EEP (EAZA Ex Situ Programme) of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) will provide bison for the release project.