Fourteen bison have been imported from Germany and Sweden to the Tarcu Mountains in Romania under “LIFE with Bison” programme, carried out by the Rewilding Romania organisation in a partnership with WWF-Romania (Fund for Nature), thus marking the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the repopulation action of the area with these wild animals.

“The 14 bison were translocated to Romania by two shipments (one from Germany, with 10 bison coming from the Kiel, Sababurg, Wielburg and Donaumoos centres, and one from Sweden, with 4 bison from the Avesta centre). The two operations were conducted by Hunland, a company specialising in animal transport, and included regular stops to ensure the welfare of the animals,” according to Rewilding Romania.

The newly translocated bison are currently in a specially designed area, where they are to be monitored by the rangers and the veterinarian, in order to ensure a smooth transition to the new environment. After 21 days, the animals will join the existing population of free bison in the Tarcu Mountains and contribute to increasing the genetic diversity there.

Released in late March, the project is co-funded by the European Union and aims to increase the population of bison in the Tarcu Mountains to over 250 specimens over the next five years.

Involved in the project are Rewilding Romania, WWF-Romania (World Wide Fund for Nature), Rewilding Europe, WeWilder, the Research and Development Institute for Hunting and Mountain Resources and the municipalities of Armeni, Teregova and Cornereva small town in Caras-Severin County.

Romania currently has about 300 bison in the wild, dispersed in the Tarcu Mountains, the Vanatori-Neamt Park and the Fagaras Mountains.