SMILE FOR THE FOTA ...THEY’RE WILD ABOUT US BISONS!
THIS baby bison was licked into shape by her mother as cameras got a first glimpse of Fota Wildlife Park’s newest addition.
The wet-behind-the ears calf was born at the Co. Cork animal sanctuary five weeks ago to mum Blue and dad Hyssop.
European bison were extinct in the wild but have recently been reintroduced to the mountain ranges of Poland and Romania in a conservational effort by many European zoos and wildlife parks – including Fota Wildlife Park.
Lead ranger at Fota, Aidan Rafferty said: ‘We are delighted to announce the birth of this baby bison. Once extinct in the wild, recently the species had a population regrowth in Eastern Europe. It brings meaning to everything we do here to be a part of this long-term conservation plan that has seen the European bison re-established in the wild from captive-born animals from zoological organisations.’
Hyssop is the dominant bull of the herd and came to Fota from Port Lympne Reserve in England six years ago as part of the coordinated European Endangered Species breeding Programme.
Classified as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the European bison is the continent’s largest land mammal.
The Fota bisons will feature in new Virgin Media One documentary series, Fota: Into The Wild.
Fota has received an influx of donations from the public as a result of the recent ‘Save Dublin Zoo’ campaign which highlighted the financial difficulties faced by zoological facilities in Ireland as a result of Covid-19.