First wild bison born for thousands of years

Conservationists have spoken of their delight following the birth of a second calf from the herd of the Wilder Blean Project a pioneering award-winning partnership between Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, in Canterbury, Kent.

The new arrival has been described as “the best Christmas present” proving the success of the Blean bison project which is supporting the return of this vulnerable species as part of the European recovery project.

The herd was introduced into West Blean and Thornden Woods in 2022, firstly in July with three females, one of whom unexpectedly gave birth in September and then later the bull in December, who had been delayed due to post-Brexit paperwork complications. 

The latest arrival and sixth member of the herd is the first to have been conceived and born in the woodland from the specially selected founding herd.

Bison boost biodiversity

The bison are a Nature-based Solution to woodland management, shaping the habitat around them without the need for machinery and human intervention. The natural behaviours create standing deadwood and bring light to the forest floor, which in turn boosts biodiversity. The project is the first of its kind in the UK and intends to act as a blueprint for others to run similar wilding initiatives in the future.

On this occasion, the calf has been born out of the breeding season and rangers are paying the herd extra attention to ensure their wellbeing, 

Hannah Mackins added: “The welfare of the herd is at the absolute heart of what we do and whilst we are keen for them to behave wildly, it must not be at the cost of their health. With this in mind, whilst there is less vegetation in the woodland, we are offering the herd supplementary feeding to ensure they stay fit and well.”

Back from the brink

Bison are a huge conservation success story by their sheer existence. After WWI the number of European bison had fallen dramatically, and the species were on the verge of extinction. A decision was made to attempt to save them and a founding herd of 12 were brought together from private zoo collections to take the first steps towards a breeding programme. Today over 9,000 bison are registered with the European breeding programme.

Room to grow

Now the herd is growing, work is beginning to install bison bridges, crossing points that will offer the giant herbivores full access to the 200 hectare woodland and provide a vantage point for visitors to the forest the opportunity to spot the bison and other conservation animals of West Blean and Thornden Woods. Planning has been approved for the structures and work is scheduled to start in the spring.

Sponsorship opportunities of the herd are available for businesses wishing to support the development of the project at West Blean and Thornden Woods, helping Kent Wildlife Trust connect the site for the bison, Exmoor ponies, iron-age pigs, and longhorn cattle that now live in the forest, shaping the landscape through their natural behaviour.

Phase two of the Wilder Blean is to create a landscape-scale wilding project, through the Wilder Blean Initiative, a partnership with the RSPB and Woodland Trust. By working with the community and stakeholders we’re bringing together knowledge, expertise and ideas to build the vision of a restored Blean landscape driven by natural processes, with missing species returned, that is reconnected and wilded in one of the most land-scarce corners of England.

The initiative was given a significant boost in July when Rewilding Britain awarding the project £100,000 from their first Rewilding Challenge Fund.