European Bison​—Rescued From Oblivion

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN POLAND

The poachers were excited. They had found the footprints they were looking for. Pressing onward, they finally caught a glimpse of their target. Its fur was dark brown; its beard nearly black. Its horns turned in sharply, sitting high up on its head. Its meat and hide were much sought after and would bring a handsome sum of money.

The poachers’ first shot wounded the animal. It ran into the forest for cover, but to no avail. A second shot found its mark, and the half-ton creature crashed to the ground. The poachers had no idea that a page in history had just been written. It was April 1919, and they had just killed Poland’s last wild specimen of the lowland European bison. Fortunately, at that time captive individual bison still lived in zoos and private collections.

THE European bison (Bison bonasus), sometimes known as the wisent, originally inhabited most of the European continent in great numbers. A mature male can weigh up to 2,000 pounds [900 kg] and can reach over six feet [2 m] tall at the shoulders. These large mammals have been called the emperors of the forest.

A notable characteristic of the bison is the disproportionate size of its forequarters when compared with its hindquarters. Its front shoulders are broad and heavy with a pronounced hump, while its hindquarters are relatively small in comparison. The hindquarters are covered with short hair, while the forequarters have long, shaggy hair and a beard.

On the Verge of Extinction

It is estimated that today only a few thousand European bison remain. Farming and deforestation robbed them of their natural habitat, and poachers relentlessly hunted them down. By the eighth century, the European bison in Gaul (modern-day France and Belgium) had died out.

In the 16th century, Polish kings took steps to protect the species. One of the first kings to act was Sigismund II Augustus, who decreed the killing of European bison to be a capital offense. Why so? “The intention,” said Dr. Zbigniew Krasiński of the Białowieza National Park, “was to preserve the animals so  they could be the hunting trophies of rulers and their courtiers.” Despite the harsh penalty, the statutes failed to protect wild bison, and by the end of the 18th century, the European bison could be found only in the Białowieza Forest in eastern Poland and in Caucasia.

In the 19th century, things finally began to change for the better. After the Russian Empire annexed the Białowieza Forest, Emperor Alexander I made an order to protect the European bison. The results were soon evident. The bison population steadily increased, and by 1857, nearly 1,900 European bison were living under the government’s protection. Later, feeding stations were set up to provide food for the bison during the winter. Watering holes were also carefully planned, and ground was cleared to cultivate plants for feed.

Sadly, the good times for these bison were short-lived. Within 60 years, their numbers were cut in half. The final blow for Poland’s wild bison came with the outbreak of World War I. Despite a German decree to “preserve these bison for posterity as a unique natural monument,” the herd was decimated by the retreating German armies, by Russian resistance fighters, and by the ever-present poachers. As described at the outset of this article, in 1919 the last wild European bison in Poland was killed.

Emerging From the Abyss

In an effort to save the species, the International Society for the Protection of the European Bison was founded in 1923. Its first objective was to count the number of full-blooded bison in captivity. * As it turned out, 54 purebred lowland European bison still remained in various zoos and menageries around the world. However, not all of them were fit for breeding. Some were too old, while others were plagued by disease. Eventually, 12 specimens were selected for use in bolstering the species. It is known that all lowland European bison now living are descended from only five of them.

The autumn of 1929 marked the triumphant return of two lowland European bison to the wild. They were placed in a specially prepared reserve in the Białowieza Forest. After ten years their numbers grew to 16.

Rescued From Oblivion?

At the beginning of the 21st century, there were approximately 2,900 European bison globally. About 700 of them were in Poland. Over the years, herds have also been established in Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine.

But this does not mean that the European bison is out of danger. Pests, disease, food and water shortages, and poachers still pose a threat. Genetic defects are also a serious problem, the result of a limited gene pool. For these reasons, the European bison is still on the Red List, which catalogs endangered plant and animal species worldwide.

Man’s determination to preserve this species has helped it to survive to our time. Dr. Krasiński, quoted earlier, reminds us, however, that “the fate of the European bison provides an example of the way in which a species may be brought to the brink of extinction in a very short time and then saved only through great efforts.” The future of this animal, as well as many others, remains uncertain. But for now “the emperors of the forest” have been rescued from oblivion.

[Footnote]

 [Pictures on page 10]

European bison in the Białowieza National Park

[Credit Line]

All photos: Białowieski Park Narodowy