Etusivu European bison

European bison

Bison bonasus

The European bison, also known as the wisent, is the largest land mammal found in Europe and is a close relative of the American bison. Adult bulls can weigh up to one tonne and prefer to live alone, whereas cows and calves live in small herds led by an old female. The European bison comes together in larger herds during the winter.

During the summer, they are at their most active in the morning and at dusk. They spend the hottest time of the day resting and chewing in the shade of trees. The European bison likes to roll in the sand and on dry soil, but it does not wallow in mud. During the autumn mating season, the bulls fight for the females. The gestation period is nine months, and the calf is born in the spring.

Conservation

The wild European bison population became extinct due to hunting and the destruction of forests. The last wild individuals were shot during the 1920s in the Bialowieza region in Poland. However, during those times, some 50 European bisons lived in zoos and on private farms.

A German zoologist collected detailed information on the species and drew up a pedigree book that allowed for understanding the relations of the individual animals. The breeding was controlled so that closely related animals were not allowed to breed together. Thanks to this, the European bison population remained fairly healthy and the number of animals started to increase. Animal exchange between zoos was also active.

The first zooborn European bisons were sent to Bialowieza in 1929. The animals were initially released to a small habituation farm and later released completely free during the 1950s. Nowadays over 7000 European bisons live in the wild and various nature reserves across Europe. Without the help of zoos the European bison would have gone extinct.

The European bison and the individuals living in Korkeasaari Zoo are part of an ex-situ conservation programme by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria EAZA, known as the EEP. The aim of the EEP is to maintain a healthy zoo population of the species, and to make reintroductions to the wild possible also in the future.

Animals born in Korkeasaari Zoo have been part of reintroduction projects in Russia.

EAZA Ex-situ Programme