The short video explains to residents and visitors in the Southern Carpathians rewilding area how to behave when they encounter a European bison. It is one of a range of measures employed by the local rewilding team to promote harmonious human-bison relations.
In the Southern Carpathians rewilding area in Romania, community-focused measures are building positive relations between people and reintroduced bison.
Rewilding Europe and WWF Romania have been reintroducing bison in the Southern Carpathians of Romania since 2014. Shot by French filmmaker Emmanuel Rondeau, “Zimbrul” is an intimate snapshot of people’s feelings about the return of this iconic species.
The transport of female bison to the release site in the Țarcu Mountains and breeding centre in Hunedoara will enhance the genetic viability of the area’s free-roaming herds and help to minimise the need for future long-distance translocations.
The reintroduction of another European bison herd in the Southern Carpathians rewilding area continues efforts to establish a viable, free-roaming population of this keystone species. This will further increase the benefits to both wild nature and local communities.
How can wild nature help to develop a region? At the beginning of May a group of social entrepreneurship professors and students met with community representatives in the Southern Carpathians rewilding area for a brainstorming session. The ideas they generated will help to develop nature-based business and reinforce the connection between people and locally reintroduced bison.
Today rewilding is playing an increasingly important role connecting younger generations with wild nature. Romanian schoolchildren in Rewilding Europe’s Southern Carpathians rewilding areas recently celebrated Earth Hour and International Bird Day, strengthening their bond with local populations of birds and reintroduced bison.
Taskforce activities, which in 2018 included data collection, website and app development, educational initiatives and community outreach, helped bolster the success of the area’s ongoing bison reintroduction programme.
Until they become acclimatised to fully wild conditions, bison reintroduced into the Southern Carpathians of Romania may be tempted to approach farms and villages looking for food, especially during periods of harsh weather. The local rewilding team monitors the bison – and provides villagers with guidance and information – to ensure both animals and people remain safe at all times.
This autumn, WWF Taskforce member Bianca Ștefănuț was part of a team helping to develop nature-based tourism in the Southern Carpathians rewilding area. Here she relates her memorable experience.