On September 17^th, the seventh web-based seminar of the European Rewilding Network took place and this time members from several rewilding sites in Europe discussed how to restore food chains and the ways rewilding contributes to this. The webinar specifically addressed the crucial importance of dead animals in nature and consequently the chances for scavengers feeding upon them, all to restore natural food chains in our European ecosystems: the Circle of Life.

When I heard that Rhodope Mountains have become the seventh Rewilding Europe’s area, the very first thought that crossed my mind was “Rhodopes cannot go any wilder”. I have always considered Rhodope Mountains as wildlife heaven due to the relatively small, even negligible human disturbance. Few months later as a Rewilding Europe volunteer, I set out on a journey to find out what can make the Rhodopes wilder than the wild place I last visited before.

Last Wednesday marked the birth of the first bison calf in the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area. European bison arrived to the Studen Kladenets Reserve in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria at the end of October 2013. The newborn bison calf is healthy, in good condition and well accepted by its parents.

Today, 30 fallow deer were released into the wild in the priority rewilding site of Chernoochene in the Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria. The special release ceremony marked the flying start of the rewilding activities in this newest rewilding area of Rewilding Europe.

Rewilding Europe now offers the perfect opportunity to anyone that loves and cares about wildlife! In a minute, you can become a vital part of Making Europe a Wilder Place, either by giving one of these gifts away, or putting them high on your own wish list.

“TARPAN: Repainting An Ancient Picture” won last night the Best Short Documentary award at the Equus Film Festival in New York, the first film festival with equestrian themed content from around the world.

The Rhodope Mountains have today officially become a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative, after a period of intensive preparations for it within the region.

At the second European Rewilding Network webinar for its members, on July 8, there was an exchange of first hand experiences and inspirational stories from several rewilding sites about novel ways of building rewilding partnerships with hunting interests.

Stoycho Stoychev, a nature conservation colleague from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds is one of the winners of the 2014 Whitley Awards. The 2014 Whitley Awards Ceremony was held on the 8th of May at The Royal Geographical Society in London, hosted by Kate Humble and the awards presented to the winners by HRH The Princess Royal.

A fresh sunny autumn morning in the late October of 2013 in the Studen Kladenets (Cold Well) Game Reserve in South-East Bulgaria. The colours of the trees are like the design of blankets made by the locals in this region: from green through yellow and reddish to brown. The morning haze is slowly moving from the top of the Yumruk Skala (Feast Rock) down to the smaller hills. The narrow asphalt road along the recently fenced area of a few hectares is almost completely blocked by cars and people.