European bison yesterday and today. Everyone knows what the European
bison is and what it looks like. However, knowledge of its needs, habits,
diet or behaviour is not so common. So let us introduce you to the European bison, the largest land mammal in Europe. Since it is the largest animal,
predators, even the large ones, do not pose a threat to it, although sometimes they can cheat and hunt bison. The European bison live in herds. First, in family groups of cows,
calves and young adults. There, young bison learn from cows what to eat and what is better not to touch, how to defend themselves against threats, what places to visit at different times of the year. When young male bison are three years old,
they separate from their group, creating their own bachelor herds. The European bison's diet consists mainly
of grasses and herbs, so they feed on meadows and pastures. They do it by walking around
and choosing what they like best. It was counted how many plant species the bison eat and it turned out to be more than 300. Daily walks to pastures cover many kilometres, so the European bison need space. Practically several dozen square kilometres
for one herd of about 25-35 animals. It is not only a whim, but thanks to the large,
varied surface of their acreage, the European bison do not live in too much densities and can always find the plants they need, and daily walks are good for their health. The European bison spend a lot of time chewing gently, lying in the forest, where they
are less bothered by insects. The female is called the cow and the male is called the bull. The mating season begins in August, the bulls do not leave the cow in heat,
trying to gain her approval. They emit a very characteristic growl-like sound, known in Polish as „chruczenie” Gestation period lasts almost 9 months and in May the cow moves away from
the herd to give birth to a calf alone. After a few days of getting to know each other the mother and calf can return to the herd,
where there will be no place for a mistake. There are several calves, sometimes a dozen, and all the cows take care of them, changing on duty. It often happens that one
calf sucks not only from its mother. If there is a risk, adult animals surround the calves, look towards the risk and evaluate it. The presence of a man is also treated as a threat, but if he or she is at a distance of at least 50 meters, the bison ignore the observer. The position of adult cows during chewing
and resting is very characteristic. Each of them observes a different side of the world. The European bison need space, water, food and peace. We currently have over 2,000 bison
in six free populations all over Poland. After the First World War, not a single wild European
bison remained in the country. So how have these beautiful and majestic animals
returned to us, and in such numbers? It is a long and very interesting story. Two thousand years ago, the European bison
could be found almost all over Europe, but the development of settlement
and agriculture resulted in shrinking of the population
and living area of this species. Two hundred years ago, only two populations remained, one in the Białowieża Primeval Forest and the other one in the Caucasus Mountains. The Białowieża Primeval Forest was a royal property, and then a tsarist property, and thanks to the care of its owners, the European bison survived
there until the 20th century. Planned hunting management was conducted
in the Primeval Forest. European bison were hunted, but most importantly, live specimens were caught and sent
to various preserves and zoos. The First World War turned out to be a critical time. The troops reached the Primeval Forest from different sides. Poaching caused the rapid decline of the European
bison population and no regulations, prohibitions or penalties helped the hunger turned out to be decisive. In April 1919, the last European bison from the free population died
in the Białowieża Primeval Forest. It took only a few years for a herd
of over 700 individuals to cease to exist. European bison in the Caucasus Mountains
had a very similar history. After the First World War, not even one bison survived in natural conditions, but there were still individuals in zoos, so there was a chance for the further
existence of the species. A dozen or so years earlier, the Society for the Protection of the European Bison
was established and it was a certain model to follow. During the Congress for the Protection
of Nature in Paris, Jan Sztolcman, a Polish zoologist and hunter, emphasized that for saving the European bison an international cooperation is required and called for the creation of a society. A year later, in 1924, the International Society for the Protection
of the European Bison was established in Germany, with the participation
of representatives of 19 countries. The most important goal was to make
an inventory of all the European bison, plan their breeding and prepare
them for re-introduction to nature. A Polish branch of the International
Society for the Protection of the European Bison was also established in Poznań, and thanks to its activity, the first European
bison began to return to our lands. A pair of bison were brought to the Poznań zoo a male named Hagen and a female named Gatczina. The international agricultural exhibition held there
was a very good opportunity to promote the idea of saving the bison activities for which large financial
resources were needed. After five years of efforts, the European
bison returned to Białowieża, where a special enclosure of several dozen hectares
was prepared for them in the forest district. Thanks to the support of the State Forests
and the government of that time, it was possible to start breeding
European bison in that place. The beginnings were very difficult,
and the event that was remembered as the greatest loss at the time was
the death of the male Biornson. He died in a fight against another bull, Borusse, who got into his area through
a fence damaged by a storm. The male Biornson from Sweden was a direct descendant of the European bison caught
in the Białowieża Primeval Forest, whereas Borusse had an admixture
of the blood of the Caucasus bison. Only a few years after that event, the male Plisch came from Pszczyna and it was him who practically became
the ancestor of the Białowieża bison he fathered 45 calves. At that time, each European bison
was worth its weight in gold, and some believed that crossing with
an American bison would be a good option. It has been forgotten that the hybrids of two species would not be able to save the European bison because
they were neither European nor American bison. Such creation of hybrids was very common,
even in Poland, fortunately all these individuals were kept
in one center in Spała. A difficult beginning, the joy of the birth of each calf, very solicitous care these were the characteristics
of the first period of restitution. Then, during the Second World War, it was ensured that the European bison
would not be hurt. It is worth emphasizing that both
the Germans and the Russians who occupied the Białowieża Primeval Forest tried to take care of the bison. After the end of the war, there were
about 90 European bison in Europe. It was not until 1952 that the first two
males were released over the fence, i.e. into the wild. In nature, they coped perfectly, which meant the green light
for reintroducing European bison. How fast is the European bison population growing? On average, this is an increase of nearly 10% per year. So if we have 100 bison, after a year there will be 110 and after five years 161. The population should consist
in about 30-35% of adult cows, because the herd's growth depends on them. The size of the population has been
growing continuously both in Poland and in other European countries since
the beginning of our century. If at the end of 2019 there were around
8.5 thousand if European bison, there will be around 22,000 of them in ten years. We must find and prepare a place
for thousands of Europe's largest mammals. The first European bison released into
the wild were used to taking care of them, In each subsequent generation,
the number of European bison grew, and the distance to humans also increased, which means that the European bison
was becoming a wild animal again. Passing through several generations
of close human care and reintroduction is a summary of the history of this species. Twenty years ago, there were almost 3,000 European bison all over Europe, now there are three times more. This success is the result of the work of many people, work called an active protection of the species. It is interesting that the European bison
is strongly associated with the Białowieża Primeval Forest. It is, however, worth noting that only every third individual lives in it, there are also other populations under the great
care of foresters and naturalists. At the beginning of the 1960s, European bison were released in the Bieszczady
Mountains and the Borecka Forest. In the 1970s, the creation of a population
in the Knyszyn Forest was started, and the West Pomeranian herd was formed in 1980. The last site is the population
of the Augustów Primeval Forest, which has existed for several years, so far it is small. European bison will
also be re-settled in the Janowskie Forests and the Romincka Forest. Where are the next sub-populations planned? It is not known yet, because it requires
the consent of many people. The bison has gone through the so-called bottleneck. The decline in its population resulted
in the loss of part of the gene pool. All European bison have only 12 ancestors, which makes them genetically similar to each other. Therefore, we study the genome of the European bison, and knowing about the similarity of individuals, we plan breeding or reintroducing
in such a way as to preserve and save as much genetic variation as possible. Pedigrees of individuals born in enclosures
are used to assess the genome, and molecular markers are assessed for all of them. The European Bison Gene Bank has already collected DNA from
nearly 3,000 individuals. The Bank stores not only DNA,
but most importantly, frozen sperm and oocytes. The reproductive cells are obtained
just after death from animals which, for the benefit of the entire population,
must be eliminated for various reasons. We have successfully managed in vitro fertilization and attempts to transfer embryos are already underway. What is the purpose of this collection, if European bison reproduce so well
and there are so many of them? We are preparing for all eventualities. For example, if a new male cannot be transferred to another
breeding farm because of an infectious disease in Europe, then embryos will be useful to refresh
the blood and preserve genetic variation. Diseases and parasites are a very serious
threat to the European bison. There have been cases in history where
we lost the whole groups because of a hoof-and-mouth disease,
tuberculosis, or bluetongue disease. This largest mammal is very susceptible to disease, perhaps due to reduced genetic variation, or perhaps because of a lack of adaptation to an environment where it hasn't
been for many generations. Parasite invasions are very dangerous, because the first post-war European bison released from breeding into the wild were dewormed for years and did not
have their own natural parasitic fauna. Simply, when the bison disappeared,
the parasites did not survive without a host. Our largest ruminant is therefore
attacked by deer or cattle parasites, and it takes time for the population
to adjust to this new situation. European bison suffer, for example,
from telasiosis their eyes are attacked by the nematode
of the genus Thelazia. The parasite locates itself in the conjunctival sac
and causes the animal to become blind. It is carried by flies. If the group of European bison is large, the flies can transfer the nematodes very quickly
to many individuals from one infected bison. There is no possibility of treatment,
because the animal's anxiety becomes noticeable, when it goes blind, and this is irreversible. Besides, wild animals cannot be
treated as farm animals, because the mere fact of scaring, catching or being close to humans causes greater
stress and may be the cause of death. Infected blind bison must be eliminated
as quickly as possible, because it protects the others and is necessary. The shot bison are thoroughly examined
by several teams of veterinarians who check whether bacteria, viruses
and parasites are a threat to the herd. Taking care of European bison involves
controlling the sustainability, health and well-being of the population it does not focus on individual animals. In an emergency, killing is a necessary
tool for the protection of all bison. It is better to kill one bison with
telasiosis as soon as possible than to wait for dozens of animals to go blind, exposing them to unnecessary suffering
and the population to weakening. Health of the European bison has been
monitored for many years, thanks to which it was possible to avoid many threats. What is active protection? In involves activities in the environment mowing meadows, collecting hay, building waterholes, purchasing and lining food in winter, laying lick salt, planting old varieties of fruit
trees and growing forage plots. All this so that the European bison would
have a good-quality food, constant access to water and as much peace as possible. Therefore, refuges for these animals are planned
in places where such peace is ensured. The most important thing is to make sure
that the animal density is not too high. European bison need to be resettled
and small groups of them should be formed in many places in the country. Such a system of spatially dispersed herds is called a metapopulation, where the condition is that animals from
different groups have contact with each other. This contact is provided by travelling bulls that can walk even several hundred
kilometres in search of various cows. Small groups of animals also mean
small conflicts and damages, and therefore greater acceptance of the inhabitants for the presence of the European
bison in their immediate vicinity. Natural groups of bison number from
a dozen to about 35 individuals. We start with improving the habitat
of the European bison since it is a grass eater, we need
to prepare good-quality and regularly mowed meadows and pastures
in the middle of the forest, away from farmland. The hay harvested from these meadows
is an excellent winter feed. Foresters plant fruit trees so that bison and other
animals can benefit from the fruit in the fall. Apple trees are old Polish varieties, they do not require spraying, so apples
are a healthy dietary supplement. Water is important and when there
are no natural reservoirs, ponds are built to serve not only to the European bison, but also to hundreds of other species. The European bison are best observed in enclosures, without disturbing them in their natural refuges. There are more and more such farms, and the maintenance and renovation of infrastructure
is a constant occupation of their owners. The kilometres of the fence require constant maintenance. In the farms you have to take care of the animals
and feed them with good natural fodder. Such active protection requires a lot of funding, and it is worth mentioning about many years
of activity in this field of the State Forests, the Białowieża National Park and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences. Various projects are implemented
to support conservation activities. The size of the bison population has recently
been increasing quite quickly, but the size of the occupied area very slowly. The population of Białowieża is 3 times
larger than 20 years ago, it lives partially outside the area of the Primeval Forest, occupying almost twice as much acreage. If the European bison come out of forest areas,
they end up in farmland. They like winter cereals and rapeseed very much,
and they will not despise corn either. Twenty bison eat about a ton of green mass a day,
so if they spend some time in such fields, they will eat a lot, and even more will be destroyed by trampling or lying down. Foresters try to keep the European bison in the area
designated for them by feeding them in winter. The damage - caused by browsing and gnawing trees
- is transferred to the forest. However, the greater the density of animals in a non-increasing area, the greater the problem for both bison and humans. It is then necessary to improve the habitat, and to reduce the density of the population by catching
and eliminating even healthy individuals. We want more European bison
and we want them to be safe. The best, proven way is to create a metapopulation, i.e. many small herds spread over a large area, connected with each other thanks to the migration of bulls. It is possible to create up to 100 herds of 30-40
European bison in different places in Poland. We would additionally have about 3-4 thousand healthy,
scattered individuals. The density would be low, the subpopulation would be under
the care of one forest district, it would be an attraction, not a source of a problem. And most importantly - it is easier to protect
scattered bison against diseases. Let us imagine the appearance of a hoof-and-mouth
disease in the Białowieża population. The mortality with a hoof-and-mouth
disease is above 50%. The population of Białowieża is 770 bison, of which almost 400 would die in agony. However, what is needed to improve
the situation of these beautiful, majestic animals, is a good will of humans. Are we able to accept certain limitations
in our functioning, and share the territory with the European bison? Can we also accept the elimination of some individuals for the better protection and health of the entire population? Do we agree to the active protection of the species, which assumes such behaviour, and thus to our active and conscious participation
in the development of the bison population?
