Unprecedented herd of 170 bison spotted in Poland
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Loading... - Castro John
- 16 Feb 2023
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An enormous herd of bison, containing up to 170 of the animals, has been spotted on the outskirts of Białowieża Forest in eastern Poland. Scientists say it is the largest they have ever seen.
The group was observed at the end of December via drone by researchers from the Institute of Mammal Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IBS PAN) in Białowieża, who monitor bison and study their reproduction. They released the image of the herd shown above.
“We were surprised to see such a large number of bison in one place,” Rafał Kowalczyk, who leads bison research at IBS PAN, told broadcaster TVP.
“We monitor bison herds in several places in Poland and abroad, and so far the [previous] largest herd, with 136 individuals, was observed by us this winter on the outskirts of the Knyszyn forest [in Poland],” he added.
“When we saw a massive herd on the outskirts of the Białowieża Forest, we wondered if it would match the Knyszyn one,” continued Kowalczyk. The images captured by the drone dispelled any doubts.
The herd, which includes 40 calves, is thought to have formed from a combination of several smaller groups of bison observed in the area at the beginning of winter.
Their coming together was likely caused by the sudden onset of winter, heavy snowfall, and a drop in temperature to well below 0°C. In such conditions, bison group together in larger herds to increase their chances of survival.
Information about the massive herd was not immediately released by the researchers so as to avoid drawing large numbers of photographers and other wildlife watchers.
Bison were hunted to extinction in the wild in Poland and elsewhere in Europe in the early 20th century, surviving only in captivity. However, programmes were launched in the 1950s to reintroduce them. Poland now has the continent’s largest population of the animal. Read More…
