Donovan Wright
Become a bison benefactor today
We need your help to support the UK's first free-roaming bison herd in thousands of years.
Since arriving in West Blean and Thornden Woods in 2022 the bison herd has grown. In December of that year, we welcomed the bull and the chance for the herd to breed, but little did we know one of our bison was already expecting and soon we welcomed our first ever UK-born wild bison calf.
We are now the proud custodians of a herd of five bison, and we must help these ecosystem engineers to continue to thrive. We are asking you to help us make conservation history by becoming a Bison Benefactor today.
How will my sponsorship help?
We need to raise these vital funds to support the bison as they carry out their important work. These giant herbivores can have a life-sustaining impact if given the chance.
You will help create space – giving bison the chance to move across landscapes, shape the habitat around them, and be able to choose where they forage, ruminate, what they eat, and where they breed.
You will help instruct change – collecting data, monitoring impact, and evidencing our findings are crucial. To do this we need to collect samples of the soil, monitor the variety and density of plants and insects, we need to track the habits of the herd so we can understand their movements, their preferences, and their needs.
You will help influence – we must not keep these findings to ourselves. One of the most important things we can do, but only with your help, is showcase our bison and their impact. We must host change-makers, we must share findings, and we must advocate for a wilder future.
Can your herd support ours?
By working together, you can make a significant difference in helping us to deliver a wilder Kent. What’s more, by sponsoring a bison, or all of our herd, you will have your company’s name forever associated with the pioneering Wilder Blean Project at its home in West Blean and Thornden Woods.
With your help, we can deliver our wilding vision on a greater scale. Your sponsorship will allow us to open up more of the woodland to the animals, grow our ground-breaking monitoring programme, and support our educational initiatives throughout schools in Kent. It will also help us maintain our accessible trails, create a story trail for families, and improve the onsite facilities to encourage more people to experience the benefits of nature by visiting the reserve.
We have come so far, this is the first wilding project of its kind in the UK. In setting up this initiative we have formed the blueprint for a better future that will encourage an abundance of biodiversity and help our landscape adapt to climate change. These magnificent animals are already helping us to evidence a better, more natural, way of managing our landscape. Their natural behaviours have many positive effects such as creating standing deadwood and dust-bathing sites to bring light to the woodland floor so a more diverse range of wildlife can return. They help to restore the woods to its former glory, before human intervention and planting trees to harvest.
We have a vision to restore nature at scale, and we need your help us turn that ambition into reality. In return for your generous sponsorship, packages are available with a raft of benefits, including your business name on a plaque within the woodland, exclusive Wilder Blean experiences, and the all-important bison cuddly toy, sustainably sourced and made from recycled materials.
If you are interested in joining the herd, we would love to hear from you and we will be more than happy to support you on your fundraising journey.
If this is not the right choice for you, but you would still like to support us, we would welcome your donation.
Become a bison benefactor today
What benefits do bison have on the environment?
These magnificent animals are helping us to evidence a better, more natural, way of managing our landscape. Their natural behaviours have many positive effects such as creating standing deadwood and dust-bathing sites to bring light to the woodland floor so a more diverse range of wildlife can return.
They help to restore the woods to its former glory, before human intervention and planting trees to harvest.
Bringing the bison herd into West Blean and Thornden Woods was an important moment in Kent's wilding journey attracting the interest of 5 billion worldwide, but it does not end there, creating a wilder landscape with an abundant ecosystem has only just begun!
Become a bison benefactor
We need your help to support the UK's first free-roaming bison herd in thousands of years.
Other ways to get involved
There are many ways you can support us in delivering a Wilder Kent
