Southern Carpathians: largest reintroduction of bison in Europe

Rewilding Europe, in partnership with WWF Romania, has been reintroducing the European bison into the Țarcu Mountains (Southern Carpathians, Romania) since 2014. Since 2016, the European Commission has supported this spectacular reintroduction initiative through its LIFE Programme.

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. You can read more about this reintroduction on the LIFE Bison website.

Rhodope Mountains: a historic return

In addition to the Southern Carpathians, Rewilding Europe is also reintroducing European bison into the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. In 2019, 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.

Bison breeding and population management

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.

The European bison that are being reintroduced are all part of the European Wildlife Bank, which provides herds of large herbivores for reintroduction into Europe’s natural landscapes. As of June 2020, 130 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.

Keeping track

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.

Living alongside bison

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.

In the Southern Carpathians rewilding area, such a level of coexistence has been achieved through a range of measures – these include the deployment of bison rangers to monitor the animals, regular meetings to address people’s concerns, a video explaining how people should behave when they encounter a European bison, an educational outreach programme involving local schools, and efforts to stimulate the local economy through the development of nature-based tourism.

Bison business

Bison are a big drawcard for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts. In the Southern Carpathians rewilding area, Rewilding Europe wants to use the animals’ reintroduction as a way to stimulate the local economy through nature-based tourism.

Bison tracking safaris, offered through the European Safari Company, are proving increasingly popular, while a visitor center has been established in the local community of Armeniș. Local guides have also set up a fly camp.