BISON FOR REWILDING BRITAIN

For now, you will only see European bison in a zoo in Britain but in 2022 some will be released in a controlled nature reserve near Canterbury. These great bovids once ranged widely in Europe, including Britain, but were hunted to the edge of extinction by the beginning of the last century. Since then, breeding programmes have seen herds successfully established in several parts of continental Europe. 

The European bison (Bovidae, Bison bonasus (Linnaeus, 1758)), sometimes called the wisent or wood bison, is a vulnerable species as designated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. That classification means the factors threatening its survival have to be reduced and its reproduction must increase to prevent it becoming endangered or extinct.

These large (they can be 2m tall and weigh over 900kg) grazing mammals were once an important part of wild ecosystems, enriching the diversity of plants, invertebrates, and other fauna. Ecological scientists expect that their return to larger areas of woodland will greatly help rewilding and the health of our ecosystems. 

As I have written before, rewilding is of huge importance in restoring our depleted biodiversity in Britain. Obviously, it is not everywhere that bison can be allowed to roam in our populous land and at Betts Ecology we have no plans to bring them onto our land, not yet at least. But what a wonderful sight it would be to see these massive beasts roaming again in suitable parts of Britain’s more rural landscapes. 

 © Betts Ecology