Bison in Kent: Three females get along ‘amazingly well’

Three wild female bison introduced to Kent last month are doing ‘amazingly well’.

These new photos show the trio exploring their new surroundings before a male from Germany joins them in the coming weeks.

Rangers say the group has already formed a family hierarchy, with the matriarch firmly establishing who is in charge — even stepping in when the dominant calf becomes “overly pushy.”

Bison fur – which can be used by nesting birds, among other things – is already visible on the trees.

Body-worn ranger cameras also show the animals exploring the enclosed woodland at West Blean and Thornden Woods, near Canterbury.

“We’re already seeing spores starting to form and dense vegetation opening up,” Tom continued.

“We come across the wide corridors they’ve made and can see when they’ve trampled dense areas that allowed more light to reach the forest floor.”

The unexpected light will provide more opportunities for plants, insects and biodiversity in general, as will the new habitat they create in the trees.

The animals, which are mostly found in North America, have been hailed as “ecosystem engineers.”

It is hoped that they will diversify the Kent forest, spreading seeds and creating wetter areas, which will store carbon and reduce flooding.

They were nearly extinct in Europe until a resurgence in numbers in more recent decades.

For people wanting to see Kent’s new residents, the Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) advocates keeping a safe distance and not being rowdy.

Lookouts have been set up, but wildlife enthusiasts will have to luck out with where the bison are anytime – at least for the foreseeable future.

The KWT’s director of conservation, Paul Hadaway, told Metro.co.uk: ‘In order to comply with legal requirements for the bison to roam freely, secure fencing has been put in place around the bison area… to ensure that people don’t get too close. to the animals.

“Although they are docile in nature, the bison is considered a dangerous animal under UK law, although on the continent where wild bison projects have been running for 20 years or more, the legislation is much more lenient.

‘Part of this project is to show UK policy makers that changes are needed to better reflect Europe’s experience of granting permits for these types of projects.’

The forest has a number of hiking trails, but curious hikers won’t be able to come into direct contact with Europe’s largest land mammal.

To avoid interaction and to allow the bison to move freely from one part of the forest to another, special ‘bison tunnels’ have been built.

They also give people in the area a better vantage point to see their new females – which rangers hope will give birth to calves when their male companion finally arrives after Brexit-related delays.

‘We want to limit human interaction with them,’ adds Paul.

“(But) the best chance of seeing a bison is to keep quiet.”

Those who do manage to catch a glimpse are likely to find the bison in good health, with the rangers content with their physical progress and interactions as a herd.

Tom explains: ‘They are also doing well physically. We checked their manure as this is an indicator of health, and it shows that they are getting enough fiber and that their diet is good.