BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-09)

Wo l f: Pe te r C a i r n s /n a t u re p l .co m ; b i so n : To m C awd ro n / T h e Wi l d wo o d Tr u st

WHENTHEPROPOSEDreleaseof

EuropeanbisonnearCanterburywas

announcedinJuly,newsstoriessaidthat

thesmallbreedingherdoffouranimals– to

beputintoBleanWoodsin 2022 – willbe

“thefirsttimein6,000years”thesegiant

bovineshaveroamedBritishsoil.Butis

that widely reported claim correct?

CriticsoftheWilderBleanprojectsay

thatits£1mcostisa pooruseofscarce

conservationfunds,becausebonesof

Europeanbison,Bisonbonasus, have

neverbeenfoundinthecountry.Rewilding

advocatescounterthata NorthSeabison

fossildatesfromwhenBritainwasjoined

totheContinent,addingthattheextinct

steppebison,B.priscus, probablyalso

oncelivedhere.A 2016geneticstudyfound

thatEuropeanbisonareactuallya hybrid

betweensteppebisonandancientcattle.

Whoisright?Theproblemisa lackof

evidence.“Howmanypeoplehavebeen

lookingforbisonfossilsintheUK?”asks

authorBenedictMacdonald.“Zero!Our

fossilrecordispatchyandbiasedtowards

caves.”Unlessbigecologicaldigstake

placeinthewiderlandscape,thedebate

overbisonoriginswillrumble on.Ben Hoare

European

bison are

nativeto

Britain

WANTTO

COMMENT?Email

wildlifeletters@

immediate.co.uk

Thehugeherbivores’

plannedreturnto

Kentwoodland

sparkedercedebate

about their past.

FINDOUTMORE

Wilder Blean project:bit.ly/2CY0fci

A

decisionbytheNorwegianparliament

nowmakesit easierforwolvestobe

shot.Thecarnivoresarelistedascritically

endangeredinNorway,witha survey

lastwintershowingthat 56 wolveslive

exclusivelyinthecountry.Upto 50 others

rangeacrosstheborderwithSweden.

Almostalltheseanimalsliveinsouth-east

Norway,wheremanyfarmersrearsheep.

Norwaylimitsthesizeofthewolf

populationbylicensinganannualcull,

basedona minimumpopulationtarget.

Followingtherecentamendment,if this

targetis reachedorexceeded,wolvescan

beconsideredtobea basisforconflict

andarethereforeliabletobekilled.

Insheep-rearingareaswithinthe

Norwegian wolf range, cull supporters, such

astheMayorofTyset,MereteMyrheMoen,

saythatfarmershavebeentryingtoreduce

attacksonsheepforyears.“Shootingwolves

tokeepthepopulationaslowaspossibleis

themosteffectivecontrol,”shesays.

SiriMartinsen,leaderoftheanimal

rightsgroupNOAH,statesthat“againstall

commonsense”,Norwaynowhasa political

goalofkeepingthreatenedpredatorsat very

lowlevels.“Withthisapproach,thewolfwill

alwaysbecritically endangered in Norway.”

Kenny Taylor

LEGISLATION

Norway suppresses wolves

A recentchangeto

Norwegianlawmeans

moreendangered

wolves may be shot.

FINDOUTMORE

InternationalWolf

Center:wolf.org/

wow/europe/

norway

Europeanbison,or

wisent,canreshape

wooded areas.

26 BBC Wildlife September 2020

WILDNEWS

TRUTH OR FICTION

?