BSG
North America
European Bison
The European bison (Bison bonasus), also called the wisent, is the largest mammal in Europe.
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(Photo: Hlawiczka c/o W.
Olech)
The European bison exists primarily in small or very-small free-ranging and captive herds, numbering about 2900 in aggregate in 2000. Political unrest and war were the primary causes of its decimation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fewer than 20 survived by the mid 1920s and all wild European bison populations were extirpated, leaving a very restricted gene pool and a difficult legacy for subsequent recovery. The Bison Breeding Center was established in 1948 within the Prioksko-Terrasny Biosphere Reserve to facilitate recovery of the species. Since then, over 250 animals have been released into the wild forests of Belorussia, Poland, Ukraine and Russia. However, poor genetic diversity in wild populations and habitat loss still threaten the persistence of European bison.
An IUCN/SSC Conservation Status Survey and Action Plan has been published for the European Bison. It can be viewed on the IUCN publications website.
For more information on European bison, contact the BSG Europe.
