Three Polish wisent bulls arrive in the Netherlands
The Dutch nature reserves De Maashorst and the Veluwe have gained three wisent bulls since April: a special moment for FREE Nature and its partners. Together they are not only working on creating biodiverse, dynamic nature reserves, but are also committed to maintaining the wisent as a species. The exchange of these Polish bulls contributes to keeping the Dutch and worldwide gene population of this endangered species healthy.
After a long journey from the nature reserve Pszczyna in southern Poland, the new wisent bulls arrived in the Brabant nature reserve De Maashorst on April 15. The animals were taken care of in the catching corral where, under the watchful eye of the herd manager and veterinarian, they could recover in peace and quiet from the journey. After several days, the bulls were released into the southern nature core, where the Brabant wisents curiously welcomed them. Under the watchful eye of their new herd mates, the Polish bulls immediately joined in exploring their new habitat.
Another short trip to the Veluwe was schedulded for one of the bulls. Upon arrival at the Veluwe, the bull was welcomed by the existing herd of wisents, who were holed up in the wenching area. The new Polish arrival was watched and sniffed with curiosity. After a few days of getting used to the Veluwe, the bull was released together with the herd to explore its new habitat.
Wisents in The Netherlands
The wisent or ‘European bison’ is Europe's largest land mammal. In 1975 the first wisents arrived in Lelystad Nature Park in The Netherlands. From there various wisent reintroduction projects in The Netherlands and Europe have been provided with wisents over the years. Since 2007 the wisent has found a home in Dutch nature. Eighteen years ago the first three wisents from Poland were released into the Kraansvlak, located in National Park Zuid-Kennemerland. FREE Nature has been working with wisents since 2016. That year, the first wisents were released on De Maashorst and the Veluwe. Since 2020, FREE Nature wisents have also been grazing on the Slikken van de Heen.
Endangered species
The three Polish bulls come from Pszczyna, where a small herd of wisents has been living since 1865. The wisent (Bison bonasus) is still on the IUCN Red List as an endangered species. The species has a worldwide population of nearly 9.000 animals, of which nearly 7.000 live in the wild. Although the population has greatly increased in numbers in recent years, the future of this species is still not guaranteed.
Together with Gemeente Maashorst, Staatsbosbeheer and Stichting Wisent op de Veluwe, FREE Nature is one of the organizations working to preserve the wisent as a species. Genetic management is a very important part of this. The wisent has a narrow genetic base, making the exchange of animals very important, in order to keep the gene population as healthy as possible. With the new bulls added, the herd of wisents at De Maashorst now amounts to 14 animals. The herd of wisents on the Veluwe now totals 9 animals and there are 2 to 4 calves on the way.
Watch the video of the arrival of the three wisent bulls on April 15 in De Maashorst below:
Photographs: Arjen Boerman and Janneke Razenberg