Kentish Express Ashford & District
Bison herd could grow quickly
‘It does depend how quickly they settle in, but we definitely could have young bison quite soon, which would be nice’
Project leaders introducing a herd of bison to the east Kent countryside say the group could multiply in size rapidly.
A quartet of what is Europe’s largest mammal will soon be roaming across 500 acres of West Blean’s ancient woodland near Canterbury as part of a bold rewilding scheme.
The £1.1 million plan, headed up by the Wildwood Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust, is the first of its kind in the UK and hoped to be a trailblazer for other areas to follow suit.
Preparations have been ongoing for the past year-and-a-half, and despite challenges brought about by Brexit, the wild beasts are set to arrive in Kent within two months.
Paul Whitfield, director general at Wildwood, said: “It’s due to be at some point in April, or the end of March.
“The plan is to put them straight into an area in Blean where they’ll undergo a quarantine period and health checks.
“They’ll then be released to the main area, probably about 30 days later.
“The young bull is coming over from Germany, we’ve got two young females coming from Ireland, and another female from Scotland.
“They will form the new herd. They are all unrelated animals,
so the long-term sustainability of genetics will be good.
“The idea is for these four to breed pretty quickly and create a bigger herd.
“We’re anticipating we could have young bison out there by next year. It does depend how quickly they settle in, but we definitely could have young bison quite soon, which would be nice.”
The animals, which can weigh up to one tonne, eat bark and push over trees by rubbing up against them.
It is hoped their presence at Blean woods will help other creatures and plants to thrive.
“A big part of the project is monitoring what sort of impact they have on the ground, and then knowing how many of them is enough for the area,”
Mr Whitfield added.
“Over time we’ll learn what the ideal number of bison should be. Fencing is still being installed but is all on track for April.
“Brexit though has been causing us a few challenges as bringing animals in from the EU is
really difficult at the moment.
“The year before Brexit there were 1,000 conservation animals transferred through the UK and EU - but last year there were only 57. So it’s a big problem.”
Two bison rangers were hired last year and the pair have undergone training in the Netherlands. They will become the main carers for the animals as they attempt to give them as wild a life as possible.
The area in which they will roam is the size of a thousand football pitches and completely fenced off, so members of the public could struggle to catch a glimpse of them.
“The chances of seeing one is going to be relatively limited,” Mr Whitfield said. “We’ll be creating the best spots for public viewing later in the year.
“There will be a viewing platform in Wildwood at the back of the park, overlooking the neighbouring Blean project.
“There will be lots of places to see the bison, but seeing one at any given time could be quite small. They’ll be out there acting like wild animals, going wherever they wish within the fenced area.”
European bison closely resemble, but are considered a separate species to their North American cousin.
Although no remains of the creatures have been found in Britain, on Doggerland - the land bridge in the North Sea that once connected the UK to Europe - bones have been found dating back about 11,600 years.