EUROPEAN BISON Bison bonasus

This is Europe’s largest land mammal which became extinct over most of its range in prehistoric times. They survived in significant numbers in Poland, Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine but were hunted heavily in the 19th century and then were decimated by the First World War when many were killed by troops and poachers. The last wild-roaming bison was shot in Bialowieza forest in Poland in 1919. Almost immediately however a captive breeding programme was started with the remaining zoo animals and by 1945 there were roughly 120 European bison surviving.

In 1952 the first bison were returned to Bialowieza and there are now around 3500 individuals worldwide – all descended from 12 individuals – some of whom have been reintroduced to their native habitats. Not surprisingly, there are problems associated with inbreeding of this species such as decrease in lifespan or juvenile mortality but this is closely monitored and recommendations are made to breeders by the European bison studbook holder. All our bison are part of the international breeding programme and we currently have one of the largest herds of European bison in the United Kingdom.

Less muscular but taller than the American bison, European bison prefer a woodland habitat where they live in small herds browsing on leaves and 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 in August and October. At this time, the bulls will look for cows who are in oestrus and will try and prevent other bulls from approaching. This is when disputes between bulls will occur which can 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.

The cow will provide milk for her calf for around one year and calves will remain with the herd until they reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years of age. After that, the males will join the bull groups and the females will stay with the cow / calf herd.

European bison are mainly grazers and they can spend up to 60% of daylight hours feeding. 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. Historically in Poland, their winter diet has been supplemented with hay grown by the local people and this contributes to large groups gathering at that time of year.

Currently, European bison do not have any natural predators in the areas where they roam. Although there is documentary evidence of wolves attacking bison in the last century, there have not been any attacks reported in recent years – possibly due to the availability of less formidable prey such as deer in these areas. The lack of predators coupled with an abundant food supply in winter has resulted in natural mortality being only 3%, so the future is looking fairly positive for these fortunate creatures.