Return to the Wild for European Bison
In 1919, the last of Europe's wild bison was shot by a poacher. Now, almost a century later, the bison bonasus has been taken off the endangered species, after a reintroduction programme has seen the wild bison population of central Europe soar up to 800 from a mere 54.
Towards the end of the 1920s, a bison restitution centre opened in Poland in an attempt to preserve the species, and just four bulls and three cows went on to found the current population.
In 1951, the first bison were reintroduced to the wild at Bialowieza Forest, which lies between Poland and Belarus. Today that population numbers 800 and a small number have been reintroduced to the Czech Republic, two hundred years after they were wiped out of existence in that country.
Eight bison are currently making their home in the Ralsko Reserve in the Czech Republic. The original bull and five cows have so far produced two young, and spend their time acclimatising to the Czech pasture, following their Polish upbringing.
Unlikely ever to roam the Czech forests in the same huge numbers as before, the reintroduction programme nonetheless demonstrates a start in repairing the damage of hunters to Europe's "gentle giants."
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
