The first bison born after more than a millennia in Britain has been lauded by actor Leonardo DiCaprio who posted about the birth to his followers on Instagram.
European bison were released into woodland near Canterbury in July as part of a rewilding project to help restore the area to its natural state.
European bison were released into woodland near Canterbury in July as part of a rewilding project to help restore the area to its natural state.
The Hollywood star shared an image of the bison to his 55.6 million Instagram followers.
It was the first bison to be born in the UK wild in thousands of years.
When rangers Tom Gibbs and Donovan Wright did their regular rounds to check on the three adult bison that had been released just a few weeks prior into the ancient Canterbury woodland, they were delighted and surprised by what they found: a healthy bison calf.
The Wilder Blean project had released the three females as part of a plan to restore ecological function to the Blean woodlands.
Bison are considered ecosystem engineers because, through their natural behavior, they create light and space for other wildlife to thrive.
European Bison were once on the brink of extinction and now number more than 9,000 individuals.
“When the bison took their first steps into the wild just weeks ago, it was hard to imagine that anything could come close to the elation we felt in that moment,” said Mark Habben, director of zoo operations at @wildwoodtrustuk, which collaborates with @kentwildlife on the Wilder Blean project. “But here we are celebrating the arrival of a bison calf.”
Bison clear undergrowth, allowing other plants and insects to move in. They also de-bark conifers, allowing native species to flourish, and their moulted fur provides insulating material for nesting birds.
The rewilding project, led by Kent Wildlife Trust and the Wildwood Trust, is taking place in West Blean and Thornden Woods – one of the largest areas of ancient woodland in the UK, with parts of it over 1,000 years old.
