Are There Bison in Europe? The Wisent's Comeback

Europe’s own bison species

Europe’s bison is not the same animal as the bison of North America. The European bison (Bison bonasus) is a separate species from the American bison, although the two are close relatives. It is the heaviest land animal in Europe: bulls usually weigh 615–920 kg (1,356–2,028 lb) and stand up to about 2 m (6.6 ft) at the shoulder.

The name wisent comes from German, and in Polish the animal is called żubr. In English, both “European bison” and “wisent” are correct.

How bison disappeared from the wild

Bison once lived across much of lowland Europe, from France to the Caucasus. As forests were cleared for farming and the animals were hunted for meat, hides and sport, their range shrank. Bison vanished from western Europe in the Middle Ages and from Romania by the late 18th century. By the 1900s, wild herds survived in only two places: the Białowieża Forest, now on the border of Poland and Belarus, and the northern Caucasus.

World War I and its aftermath finished them off. Soldiers and poachers killed the Białowieża herd, and the last wild animal there was shot in 1921. In 1927, poachers killed the last wild bison in the Caucasus. The species was extinct in the wild.

Saved from 12 founders

When conservationists counted the survivors in the 1920s, only about 50 European bison were left in zoos and private collections. In 1923 they founded the International Society for the Preservation of the Wisent and started a studbook, the European Bison Pedigree Book, still kept today in Poland.

Only 12 of those surviving animals left descendants, so every European bison alive now comes from these 12 founders. Bison were brought back to the Białowieża Forest in 1929, first in enclosures. From the early 1950s, they were released into the open forest, and the population slowly grew. Since then, animals bred in Poland, Russia and zoos across Europe have been used to start herds in many countries.

How many bison are there in Europe today?

Numbers have risen steadily. The world total passed about 7,500 in 2019 and was roughly 10,000 in the early 2020s, with about two-thirds of the animals in free-ranging herds. The species is now listed by the IUCN as Near Threatened, up from Endangered in the 1990s.

These are rounded figures from national counts in different years, and they change quickly as herds grow and new ones are created.

Where do bison live in Europe?

Poland is the world center for wisent. The Białowieża Forest holds the largest free-living herd, roughly 800 animals on the Polish side alone in recent counts. Another large population lives in the Bieszczady Mountains in the southeast, and smaller herds roam forests in the north and west.

Belarus has the other half of the Białowieża Forest, called Belovezhskaya Pushcha, and many other herds created since the 1990s.

Russia and Ukraine have herds in central and western Russia, the Caucasus, and Ukrainian forests such as those of Polesia.

Romania has some of Europe’s most exciting projects. Bison were released into the wild in the Vânători-Neamț Natural Park in the north, the Țarcu Mountains in the southwest and the Făgăraș Mountains in the Southern Carpathians.

Elsewhere, there are free-ranging or semi-wild herds in Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Germany, Switzerland, Serbia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom, where a herd was released in Kent in 2022; see are there bison in the UK? Many of these herds live in large fenced areas rather than fully open countryside.

Challenges for Europe’s bison

The comeback is a conservation success, but bison face real problems:

• Low genetic diversity. Because every animal descends from just 12 founders, bison may be less able to cope with new diseases. Breeders still keep two separate lines to protect their genes.
• Small, isolated herds. Many herds have fewer than 50 animals and are separated by farmland, roads and towns.
• Conflict with farmers and foresters. Bison can damage crops and strip bark from trees. Some herds are culled or moved, and in a few cases wandering bison have been shot.
• Dependence on winter feeding. Many herds are fed hay in winter, which helps survival but crowds animals together.

Why bring bison back?

Ecologists see bison as “ecosystem engineers”. By grazing, browsing, rolling in dust baths, trampling and stripping bark, they open up dense woodland and create a patchwork of glades, scrub and trees. This variety benefits many insects, birds, reptiles and plants. Their dung and the bare patches they make also support beetles and wildflowers.

Bison are also good for tourism. Białowieża attracts visitors from around the world, and bison-watching trips now run in Romania and other countries.

How to see wild bison safely

Wisent are mostly active in the early morning and late afternoon. In winter, when they gather in forest meadows, they are easier to find. Join a local guide, stay at least 50 m (165 ft) away, and never approach cows with calves or a lone bull. Like American bison, discussed in how many bison are left?, they are powerful animals that can charge if they feel threatened.