European Bison Coming Back to Forests in Germany
- 11 years ago
The European bison is coming back to forests in Germany.
European bison known as wisents as being reintroduced to a forest in Germany where they will be allowed to roam free in the wild for the first time since 1746.
A close relative of the American bison, wisents are about the same size, and there are around 3 thousand of them still alive today descending from 12 living pure bred specimens living in zoos, wildlife reserves and on private property.
The decision to release them into the wild is a controversial one, with different issues being brought up like safety, and ecological concerns.
A team of scientists set out to answer these questions and found that a herd of wisents in a national park in Poland has never attacked a human, and they actually brings a species of dung beetle larvae with them that was also once an indigenous creature that no longer thrives in the forests of Germany.
The herd of bison is being weaned from human contact to prepare them for being released into the wild.
But even then forest director Johannes Röhl says: "We'll have to manage the herd after that. Particularly when it comes to feeding in winter."
What do you think about reintroducing endangered species into the wild?
European bison known as wisents as being reintroduced to a forest in Germany where they will be allowed to roam free in the wild for the first time since 1746.
A close relative of the American bison, wisents are about the same size, and there are around 3 thousand of them still alive today descending from 12 living pure bred specimens living in zoos, wildlife reserves and on private property.
The decision to release them into the wild is a controversial one, with different issues being brought up like safety, and ecological concerns.
A team of scientists set out to answer these questions and found that a herd of wisents in a national park in Poland has never attacked a human, and they actually brings a species of dung beetle larvae with them that was also once an indigenous creature that no longer thrives in the forests of Germany.
The herd of bison is being weaned from human contact to prepare them for being released into the wild.
But even then forest director Johannes Röhl says: "We'll have to manage the herd after that. Particularly when it comes to feeding in winter."
What do you think about reintroducing endangered species into the wild?