A pioneering rewilding project has had an early surprise: a bouncing baby bison. It is the first wild bison to be born in the UK for thousands of years.
Three bison were released in Kent in July but, unknown to the rangers, one had a secret passenger on board. Bison conceal their pregnancies to prevent predators targeting pregnant animals or their offspring.
The female calf was discovered after a couple of days when rangers did not see the mother, who had found a secluded location to give birth. “The calf has come on leaps and bounds – literally,” said Tom Gibbs, a bison ranger. She loves to run circles around the adults, he added.
The project is a collaboration between the Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust and they had hoped the new herd would breed in due course, but the new baby is a bonus. A bull is expected to arrive from Germany to join the three female bison by the end of October.
“There were a couple of days when we didn’t see female 2 and that was sort of an alarm bell, because she’s normally very confident and the one up at the front. I hoped she was OK,” said Gibbs. “The other two females were also a bit more on edge and defensive, warning me about something.”
“I went off to try and to find her and after about an hour, I could hear some rustling in the tree line,” Gibbs said. “I didn’t want to get too close, so I used my binoculars, and I could see her tail swishing. I thought I saw a muntjac deer behind her, and I thought: ‘What’s that doing, so close to this female?’
“Then, lo and behold, this little face popped out from behind the female, and that was the eureka moment. It was just unbelievable to think this is the first wild born bison here in England. It was just a monumental moment.”
To even note a human project is carried out “without political or commercial” objectives is incredible in itself. I celebrate this little baby bison’s birth and the fine humans and scientists that helped this happen. Thank you for sharing, Jim.