DH Latest NewsDH NEWSLatest NewsNEWSScience

After being extinct in Britain 10,000 years ago, bison are now making a comeback.

Before going extinct about 10,000 years ago, the majestic steppe bison walked the planet. It roamed at a place that would later be named ‘England’. Three bisons have been unleashed in Kent’s woodlands thousands of years later to recreate the prehistoric era.

The triad trio is made up of two young females from Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland and an elder female from Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland. Tracking collars have been put on all three females so that their motion can be monitored. A juvenile male bison will be airlifted from Germany to the herd in the middle of August, according to project officials.

These gentle giants, also dubbed ‘ecosystem engineers’ were released into the wildlife under the $1.4 million ‘Wilder Blean project’, funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery. It is an experiment that attempts to use the bisons and their natural behaviour to transform the commercial pine forest into a natural woodland, in a way that no other animal can.

Wildlife specialists claim that the bison can completely alter the landscape and promote the growth of new flora and animals. The giants consume the tree’s bark to produce dust baths, which are extremely beneficial to other plant and animal species.

Similar to this, as the trees fall, light will enter the forest floor, causing the plants to flourish. Additionally, as Britain continues to experience its worst heatwave in recorded history, the woodlands are anticipated to absorb more carbon.

The five hectares that the ladies first have to explore will soon be enlarged to 50 hectares once the bull shows around. The bisons will eventually get access to 200 hectares of land in Wilder Bean, and it’s anticipated that other species will join them.

shortlink

Post Your Comments


Back to top button