Two Bison Calves Born at Olomouc Zoo — Youngsters Already Frolicking in Their Enclosure

The bison herd at the zoo in the Czech city of Olomouc has grown by two new calves, who are already settling into life outdoors and delighting visitors with their playful antics in the enclosure.

In June, zoo staff built a new hayloft with a feeding trough in the enclosure, meaning the animals are now fed right in front of visitors. “Because of this, the bison have started spending far more time in the enclosure than in previous years, and now they can be regularly seen throughout the day,” said zoologist Jan Plháček.

The zoo also plans to refresh its herd this year, as the animals have noticeably aged. In the autumn, a new breeding male is expected to arrive in Olomouc from a zoo in Bussolengo, Italy, to form a new reproductive group with the younger females. The oldest bison, meanwhile, will be retired from breeding.

The European bison is the largest mammal on the continent, with males weighing up to 920 kilograms. In captivity, these animals can live up to 26 years, and a single bison can eat between 30 and 60 kilograms of leaves, grass and herbs per day.

Native to Europe, bison have been hunted intensively since the Middle Ages. By the 16th century, they survived only in royal hunting grounds and in the eastern parts of the continent. The last wild bison in Europe was killed in 1919, and the last one in the Caucasus in 1927, leaving only a few dozen animals alive in zoos and game reserves.

The European bison became the world’s first wild animal species to have its own studbook. Its first edition, compiled a hundred years ago, recorded just 56 surviving individuals. Thanks to a coordinated breeding programme, in which European zoos played an active role, the population was gradually restored.

In 1952, bison were released back into the wild in the Białowieża Forest on the border between Poland and present-day Belarus, after which they began to return to other European countries as well. Today, the population has grown to several tens of thousands of animals, and in 2020 the European bison was removed from the Red List of endangered species.

Source: ekolist.cz