One year ago the European bison, the largest land mammal on our continent, returned to its old haunts in the Southern Carpathians. One year later, during a second major release event on 12 and 13 June last week, the number of animals doubled as a next step to create a viable population of free roaming bison in this Natura 2000 site.
Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania are thrilled to announce the second release of European bison to take place in the Southern Carpathians rewilding area on 12 and 13 June 2015. The herd brought into the acclimatisation area last year will be released into the wild, becoming the first bison to roam freely in the Southern Carpathians for over 200 years. In addition, a new herd of 18 European bison, originating from six different wildlife centres in Europe will arrive in Romania to be brought into the acclimatization area.
The four European bison that were released into the wild in the Eastern Carpathians rewilding area in December 2014 are now free roaming in Poland and Slovakia. Tracking of these animals, carried out by the Carpathian Wildlife Research Station and our local team, again proves the importance of the transboundary movements for wildlife in the Bieszczady Mountains.
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Today, two European bison cows as part of a group of four, were released into the wild in the Eastern Carpathians rewilding area. The gate of the enclosure was lifted by Professor Kajetan Perzanowski, Chief of the Carpathian Wildlife Research Station, Dorota Magusia, Vice Head Forester of Komańcza Forest District from State Forest Department, Professor Wanda Olech, Coordinator and President of the European Bison Conservation Center and Chairman of European Bison Friends Society, and Katarzyna Wasiak, Team leader of Eastern Carpathians rewilding area at a special release ceremony.
Today, an agreement was signed about deliveries of quality European bison individuals for releases in the wild, between Rewilding Europe and the Avesta Visentpark (Avesta Bison Park) in Sweden, one of Europe’s oldest and finest breeding stations for this endangered wildlife species. This symbolically coincides with Rewilding Europe publishing its new “Bison Rewilding Plan 2014-2024”.
Three females of European bison, coming from Eriksberg Wildlife Park in Sweden, were today brought to the Eastern Carpathians rewilding area, to augment the existing population of some 270 animals with new genes. This is the first joint activity after signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Bison Conservation Center and Rewilding Europe on 15 September this year.
The final medical results from the National Veterinary Authority in Bucharest, Romania, confirm that at least two out of the three bison that died last week at the bison release site in the Țarcu Mountains, were infected by Bluetongue virus.
The 17 European bison brought back to the Tarcu Mountains in May by Rewilding Europe together with WWF Romania are now roaming in a 160 ha area, ten times larger than the quarantine area (±15 ha) in which they spent their first four months after arrival.
The 17 European bison who in May made their way back to the Romania’s Tarcu Mountains, after the species had been extinct there for 250 years, are getting closer and closer to full freedom in the wild.