Editing European bison (section)

==Conservation==
[[File:Зубри- Язовир Студен кладенец 5.jpg|thumb|left|[[Valchi Dol]] reserve in Bulgaria]]
The protection of the European bison has a long history; between the 15th and 18th centuries, those in the forest of Białowieża were protected and their diet supplemented.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bison bonasus|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bison_bonasus.html|publisher=Animal Diversity Web|author=Trapani, J.|access-date=21 July 2011|archive-date=11 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111122147/http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bison_bonasus.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Efforts to restore this species to the wild began in 1929, with the establishment of the Bison Restitution Centre at Białowieża, Poland.<ref>{{cite book|title=European bison – the nature monograph|year=2007|publisher=Mammal Research Institute|location=Białowieża, Poland.|author1=Krasińska, M. |author2=Krasiński, Z.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The New Encyclopedia of Mammals|year=2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|author=Macdonald, D.}}</ref> Subsequently, in 1948, the Bison Breeding Centre was established within the [[Prioksko-Terrasny Biosphere Reserve]].

The modern herds are managed as two separate lines – one consisting of only ''Bison bonasus bonasus'' (all descended from only seven animals) and one consisting of all 12 ancestors, including the one ''B. b. caucasicus'' bull.<ref name="BSGE">{{cite web | url=http://ebac.sggw.pl/genetic_status.html | title=Genetic status of the species | publisher=Bison Specialist Group – Europe | access-date=17 June 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307080532/http://ebac.sggw.pl/genetic_status.html | archive-date=7 March 2013 }}</ref> The latter is generally not considered a separate subspecies because they contain DNA from both ''B. b. bonasus'' and ''B. b. caucasicius'', although some scientists classify them as a new subspecies, ''B. b. montanus''.<ref>{{cite web|title = The Extinction Website – Species Info – Caucasian European Bison|url = http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/caucasianbison.htm|website = www.petermaas.nl|access-date = 13 August 2015|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150711184244/http://www.petermaas.nl/extinct/speciesinfo/caucasianbison.htm|archive-date = 11 July 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref> Only a limited amount of [[inbreeding depression]] from the [[population bottleneck]] has been found, having a small effect on skeletal growth in cows and a small rise in calf mortality. Genetic variability continues to shrink. From five initial bulls, all current European bison bulls have one of only two remaining [[Y chromosome]]s.

===Reintroduction===
[[File:Reserva CIBE.jpg|thumb|European bison reserve in [[Spain]], where a reintroduction programme in [[San Cebrián de Mudá]], [[Castile and León]] is in place.]]
[[File:Зубри у Сколівських Бескидах(3).jpg|thumb|Bison in [[Skole Beskids National Nature Park]], [[Stryi Raion]] in Ukraine]]

Beginning in 1951, European bison have been [[Reintroduction|reintroduced]] into the wild, including some areas where they were never found wild.<ref name="rwbz" /><ref>{{Cite book|title=European bison : status survey and conservation action plan|others=Pucek, Zdzisław,, Belousova, Irina P.,, Krasińska, Małgorzata. compiler., Krasiński, Zbigniew A., 1938–, Olech, Wanda,, IUCN/SSC Bison Specialist Group.|year=2004|isbn=2831707625|location=Gland|page=16|oclc=56807539|last1 = Belousova|first1 = Irina P.}}</ref> Free-ranging herds are currently found in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Slovakia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurowildlife.org/news/wisents-in-slovakia-the-population-has-increased-three-times-since-2004/|title=Wisents in Slovakia: the population has increased three times since 2004|publisher=[[European Wildlife]]|date=23 July 2013|access-date=23 July 2013|archive-date=22 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822204656/http://www.eurowildlife.org/news/wisents-in-slovakia-the-population-has-increased-three-times-since-2004/|url-status=live}}</ref> Latvia, Switzerland, Kyrgyzstan, Germany,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dw.de/die-wisente-kehren-nach-deutschland-zur%C3%BCck/a-16248800|title=Die Wisente kehren nach Deutschland zurück – Wissen & Umwelt|date=11 April 2013|publisher=Deutsche Welle|access-date=12 April 2013|archive-date=12 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412002952/http://www.dw.de//die-wisente-kehren-nach-deutschland-zur%C3%BCck//a-16248800|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330546518 |title=Spatio-temporal distribution of European bison (Bison bonasus L.) in Poloniny National Park, East Carpathians, Slovakia |year=2013 |doi=10.1007/s13364-013-0136-y |pmid=24244043 |accessdate=2021-12-28 |archive-date=28 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228030337/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330546518_Spatio-temporal_distribution_of_European_bison_Bison_bonasus_L_in_Poloniny_National_Park_East_Carpathians_Slovakia |url-status=live |last1=Kowalczyk |first1=R. |last2=Krasińska |first2=M. |last3=Kamiński |first3=T. |last4=Górny |first4=M. |last5=Struś |first5=P. |last6=Hofman-Kamińska |first6=E. |last7=Krasiński |first7=Z. A. |journal=Acta Theriologica |volume=58 |issue=4 |pages=391–401 |pmc=3786093 }}</ref> and in [[Nature reserve|forest preserves]] in the [[Western Caucasus]].<!-- European bison are now found in the {{convert|30|km|mi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} 30&nbsp;km [[Zone of alienation|exclusion zone]] around [[Chernobyl]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}--> The Białowieża Primeval Forest, an [[ancient woodland]] that straddles the border between Poland and Belarus, continues to have the largest free-living European bison population in the world with around 1000 wild bison counted in 2014.<ref name=ostoja>{{cite web|url=https://bpn.com.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=106|title=Puszcza Białowieska ostoją żubrów|publisher=Białowieski Park Narodowy|date=2015|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=22 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922215230/https://bpn.com.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=106|url-status=live}}</ref> Herds have also been introduced in Moldova (2005),<ref>[http://www.iatp.md/arii/text/eng/pad_domn_bison.htm "Bison in the Republic of Moldova"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306122131/http://www.iatp.md/arii/text/eng/pad_domn_bison.htm |date=6 March 2009 }}, IATP</ref> Spain (2010),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.univision.com/contentroot/wirefeeds/world/8226775.shtml|title=El bisonte europeo se reimplanta en España|publisher=Univision.com|date=5 June 2010|access-date=16 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606191221/http://www.univision.com/contentroot/wirefeeds/world/8226775.shtml|archive-date=6 June 2011}}</ref> Denmark (2012),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18355211|title=Denmark's Bornholm island gets rare bison from Poland|work=bbc.co.uk|date=7 June 2012|access-date=9 June 2012|archive-date=8 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608201203/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18355211|url-status=live}}</ref> the Czech Republic (2014),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurowildlife.org/news/the-way-to-the-wisents-rescue-in-europe-is-only-at-its-half/ |title=Wisent rescue in Europe is only at the half-way point |publisher=European WILDLIFE |date=13 January 2014 |access-date=4 February 2016 |archive-date=28 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828174804/http://www.eurowildlife.org/news/the-way-to-the-wisents-rescue-in-europe-is-only-at-its-half/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Portugal (2024)<ref name="rcb-radiocovadabeira.pt"/>

Reintroduction of bison to a 52 square km grasslands area in the [[Țarcu Mountains]] of Romania in 2014 was found to have resulted in an additional 54,000 tons of [[carbon]] draw-down annually.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-16 |title=How a Small Herd of Romanian Bison Is Locking Away Thousands of Tons of Carbon |url=https://e360.yale.edu/digest/romania-bison-carbon |access-date=2024-05-19 |website=Yale E360 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Wilder Blean project, headed up by the Wildwood Trust and [[Kent Wildlife Trust]], introduced European bison to the UK [[Pleistocene rewilding|for the first time in 6000 years]] (although there was an unsuccessful attempt in Scotland in 2011,<ref name=AlladaleReserve>[[Alladale Wilderness Reserve]], [https://alladale.com/rewilding/european-bison/ European Bison - Bison bonasus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023013802/https://alladale.com/rewilding/european-bison/ |date=23 October 2022 }}</ref> and the European bison is not confirmed to be native to England while the [[British Isles]] once used to be inhabited by now-extinct [[Steppe bison]] and [[Bison schoetensacki|Pleistocene woodland bison]]).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Palacio |first1=Pauline |last2=Berthonaud |first2=Véronique |last3=Guérin |first3=Claude |last4=Lambourdière |first4=Josie |last5=Maksud |first5=Frédéric |last6=Philippe |first6=Michel |last7=Plaire |first7=Delphine |last8=Stafford |first8=Thomas |last9=Marsolier-Kergoat |first9=Marie-Claude |display-authors=2 |date=1 January 2017 |title=Genome data on the extinct Bison schoetensacki establish it as a sister species of the extant European bison (Bison bonasus) |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=17 |issue=1 |page=48 |bibcode=2017BMCEE..17...48P |doi=10.1186/s12862-017-0894-2 |issn=1471-2148 |pmc=5303235 |pmid=28187706 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="rwbz">{{Cite web|date=2022|title=Bison reintroduction & conservation|language=en|website=rewildingbritain.org.uk|publisher=Rewilding Britain|url=https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/explore-rewilding/reintroductions-key-species/rewilding-superstars/european-bison?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqKXMzduF-QIVSuztCh0xnwUSEAAYASAAEgIaDvD_BwE|access-date=2022-07-19|archive-date=20 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220072859/https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/reintroductions-key-species/key-species/european-bison|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=GrrlScientist|date=July 20, 2020|title=Bison To Return To British Woodland After Absence Of More Than Six Millennia|language=en|work=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2020/07/20/bison-to-return-to-british-woodland-after-absence-of-more-than-six-millennia/|access-date=2020-07-21|archive-date=21 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721035507/https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2020/07/20/bison-to-return-to-british-woodland-after-absence-of-more-than-six-millennia/|url-status=live}}</ref> The herd of 3 females, with plans to also release a male in the following months, was set free in July 2022 within a 2,500-acre (10 square km) conservation area in [[West Blean and Thornden Woods]], near Canterbury.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-07-09|title=European bison to be introduced into Kent woodland|language=en-gb|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-53349929|access-date=2020-07-10|archive-date=10 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710040653/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-53349929|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Chantler-Hicks|first=Lydia|date=2020-07-10|title=Bison to be introduced to Kent woodland|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/bison-to-be-introduced-to-kent-woodland-230138/|access-date=2020-07-11|work=Kent Online|language=en|archive-date=11 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711051437/https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/bison-to-be-introduced-to-kent-woodland-230138/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=18 July 2022 |title=Wilder Blean {{!}} Kent Wildlife Trust |url=https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wilderblean |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718161153/https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/wilderblean |archive-date=18 July 2022 |access-date=18 July 2022 |website=www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk}}</ref> Unknown to the rangers, one of the females was pregnant and gave birth to a calf in October 2022, marking the first wild bison born in the UK for the first time in millennia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-21 |title=First wild bison born in UK for millennia after surprise pregnancy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/21/first-wild-bison-born-in-uk-for-millennia-after-surprise-pregnancy |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=25 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025150613/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/21/first-wild-bison-born-in-uk-for-millennia-after-surprise-pregnancy |url-status=live }}</ref> In winter 2023, the matriarch of the herd gave birth to a male calf. A further two female calves were born at the site in October 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome “two” the herd |url=https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/welcome-two-herd |website=Kent Wildlife Trust}}</ref> In January 2025, the project was recognised as one of [[The Big Issue]]’s top Changemakers of 2025.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wilder Blean Bison Project recognised as a 2025 Changemaker by Big Issue |url=https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/changemaker |website=Kent Wildlife Trust |access-date=30 January 2025}}</ref>

As below-mentioned, there are established herds in [[Spain]], [[Portugal]] and [[Italy]], however European bison has not been recorded naturally from the [[Italian Peninsula]]s,<ref name=Euskomedia /> while these regions were once inhabited by Pleistocene woodland bison and Steppe bison.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Thun Hohenstein|first1=Ursula|last2=Di Nucci|first2=Annarosa|last3=Moigne|first3=Anne-Marie|date=January 2009|title=Mode de vie à Isernia La Pineta (Molise, Italie). Stratégie d'exploitation du Bison schoetensacki par les groupes humains au Paléolithique inférieur|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003552109000107|journal=L'Anthropologie|language=fr|volume=113|issue=1|pages=96–110|doi=10.1016/j.anthro.2009.01.009|access-date=24 October 2022|archive-date=18 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818025219/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003552109000107|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>P. Bologna, C. Petronio, 1994, ''The first occurrence of Bison priscus Bojanus in the Melpignano area (Lecce, southern Italy)'', Bollettino—Societa Paleontologica Italiana, vol. 33, no. 2, pp.275–278</ref><ref>Jone Castaños, Pedro Castaños, Xabier Murelaga, 2016, ''First Complete Skull of a Late Pleistocene Steppe Bison ( Bison priscus ) in the Iberian Peninsula'', [[Ameghiniana]], 53(5), pp.543-551</ref>

===Numbers and distribution===
====Numbers by country====
The total worldwide population recorded in 2019 was around 7,500 – about half of this number being in [[Poland]] and [[Belarus]], with over 25% of the global population located in Poland alone.<ref name="lbn-pż" /> For 2016, the number was 6,573 (including 4,472 free-ranging) and has been increasing.<ref name=eurowildlife>{{cite web|title=Number of wisents in the Czech Republic passes one hundred for the first time since the Middle Ages|url=http://www.eurowildlife.org/news/number-of-wisents-in-the-czech-republic-passes-one-hundred-for-the-first-time-since-the-middle-ages/|website=European Wildlife|date=13 March 2018|access-date=6 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706132554/http://www.eurowildlife.org/news/number-of-wisents-in-the-czech-republic-passes-one-hundred-for-the-first-time-since-the-middle-ages/|archive-date=6 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some local populations are estimated as:
*{{flagcountry|Austria}}: 10 animals<ref name="All About Bison:Europe">{{Cite news|url = https://allaboutbison.com/bison-world-news/europe/european-bison/|title = All About Bison:Europe|newspaper = All About Bison|access-date = 23 October 2020|archive-date = 27 October 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201027093128/https://allaboutbison.com/bison-world-news/europe/european-bison/|url-status = live}}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}: 29 animals in 2021.<ref>Report.az, 2021, [https://report.az/en/multimedia/seventeen-bison-brought-to-azerbaijan-92-years-later/ Seventeen bison brought to Azerbaijan 92 years later] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020140027/https://report.az/en/multimedia/seventeen-bison-brought-to-azerbaijan-92-years-later/ |date=20 October 2022 }}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Belarus}}: 2,385 animals<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://npbp.by/about/news/vosstanovleniyu-zubra-v-belovezhskoy-pushche-100-let/ |title=Новости }}</ref> in 2023.
*{{flagcountry|Bulgaria}}: Around 150 animals in northeastern Bulgaria;<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GBTqfSovBacC&pg=PA15|title=European Bison (Bison Bonasus): Current State of the Species and Strategies for its Conservation|page=15|isbn=9789287155498|last1=Pucek|first1=Zdzsław|date=1 January 2004|publisher=Council of Europe |access-date=15 December 2019|archive-date=17 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317095153/https://books.google.com/books?id=GBTqfSovBacC&pg=PA15|url-status=live}}</ref> a smaller population has been reintroduced in the eastern [[Rhodope Mountains]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://rewildingeurope.com/news/european-bison-brought-back-to-bulgaria/|title= European Bison Brought back to Bulgaria|date= 9 November 2013|access-date= 21 July 2018|archive-date= 22 July 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180722011316/https://rewildingeurope.com/news/european-bison-brought-back-to-bulgaria/|url-status= live}}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Czechia}}: 106 animals in 2017.<ref name=eurowildlife />
*{{flagcountry|Denmark}}: Two herds were established in the summer of 2012, as part of conservation of the species. First, fourteen animals were released in meadows near the town of [[Randers]], and later, seven animals on [[Bornholm]]. In June 2012, one male and six females were moved from Poland to the Danish island Bornholm. The plan was to examine if it is possible to establish a wild population of bison on the island over a five-year period.<ref name="denbis">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18355211|title=Denmark's Bornholm island gets rare bison from Poland|work=BBC News|date=7 June 2012|access-date=8 June 2012|archive-date=7 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607195647/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18355211|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, it was decided to keep the bison on Bornholm, but maintained within the large fenced-in part of the [[Almindingen]] forest where originally introduced. In 2019, the bison that initially had been introduced near Randers were moved to the more suitable and spacious [[Lille Vildmose]]; these were supplemented by seven animals from the Netherlands in 2021.<ref>{{cite web | title=De første europæiske bisoner er kommet til Lille Vildmose | url=https://www.avjf.dk/nyheder/de-foerste-europaeiske-bisoner-er-kommet-til-lille-vildmose/ | publisher=Aage V. Jensen Naturfond | access-date=16 January 2023 | archive-date=16 January 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116170729/https://www.avjf.dk/nyheder/de-foerste-europaeiske-bisoner-er-kommet-til-lille-vildmose/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|France}}: One herd was established in 2005 in the Alps near the village of Thorenc (close to the city of Grasse), as part of conservation of the species. In 2015, it contained around 50 animals.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}
*{{flagcountry|Germany}}: A herd of 8 animals (1 male, 5 females, and 2 calves) was released into nature in April 2013 at the [[Rothaarsteig]] natural reserve near [[Bad Berleburg]] ([[North Rhine-Westphalia]])<ref>[http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0418-hance-wisent-germany.html Bison return to Germany after 300-year absence] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423071609/http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0418-hance-wisent-germany.html |date=23 April 2013 }}. Mongabay.com</ref> after 850 years of absence since the species became extinct in that region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.derwesten.de/staedte/nachrichten-aus-bad-berleburg-bad-laasphe-und-erndtebrueck/wisente-erobern-die-itb-id2709702.html|author=Christoph Vetter|title=Wisente erobern die ITB|publisher=Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ), online edition|date=1 March 2010|access-date=7 July 2013|archive-date=18 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018030826/http://www.derwesten.de/staedte/nachrichten-aus-bad-berleburg-bad-laasphe-und-erndtebrueck/wisente-erobern-die-itb-id2709702.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> As of May 2015, 13 free-roaming wisents lived there.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}} In September 2017 one of the free-living Polish animals swam the border river Oder and migrated to Germany. It was the first wild bison seen in Germany for more than 250 years. German authorities ordered the animal to be killed and it was shot dead by hunters in September 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/polski-zubr-zastrzelony-w-niemieckim-miasteczku-jest-decyzja-6266908880631425a|title = Polski żubr zastrzelony w niemieckim miasteczku. Jest decyzja|date = 26 June 2018|access-date = 8 September 2018|archive-date = 9 September 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180909000328/https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/polski-zubr-zastrzelony-w-niemieckim-miasteczku-jest-decyzja-6266908880631425a|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/germany-wild-bison-shot-dead-250-years-species-wwf-filing-charges-j-rg-vogels-nger-a7957241.html|title = Germany's 'first wild bison in 250 years' shot dead by authorities|website = [[Independent.co.uk]]|date = 20 September 2017|access-date = 8 September 2018|archive-date = 9 September 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180909001730/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/germany-wild-bison-shot-dead-250-years-species-wwf-filing-charges-j-rg-vogels-nger-a7957241.html|url-status = live}}</ref> As of 2020, the population has steadily increased to 26 individuals, living in one subpopulation.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />
*{{flagcountry|Hungary}}: 11 animals in the [[Őrség National Park]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orseginemzetipark.hu/hu/info/ertekeink/europai-bolenyeink/|title=orseginemzetipark.hu: Európai bölények az Őrségi Nemzeti Parkban.|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731102035/https://www.orseginemzetipark.hu/hu/info/ertekeink/europai-bolenyeink/|url-status=live}}</ref> and few more in the [[Körös-Maros National Park]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kmnp.nemzetipark.gov.hu/korosvolgyi-latogatokozpont-es-allatpark|title=kmnp.nemzetipark.gov.hu: Körösvölgyi Látogatóközpont és Állatpark|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=30 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130204923/http://kmnp.nemzetipark.gov.hu/korosvolgyi-latogatokozpont-es-allatpark|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Italy}}: A small herd can be found in the Natura Viva Park near Verona, Italy, where the animals are protected and are prepared to be put in nature again in the wild areas of Romania.
*{{flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}}: Animals were reintroduced at one point.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330546518 |title=Spatio-temporal distribution of European bison (Bison bonasus L.) in Poloniny National Park, East Carpathians, Slovakia |first1=Matúš |last1=Bielik |first2=Marian |last2=Janiga |first3=Zuzana |last3=Ballova |journal=Oecologia Montana |year=2018 |volume=2 |pages=1–6 |via=[[ResearchGate]] |access-date=21 January 2021 |archive-date=28 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228030337/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330546518_Spatio-temporal_distribution_of_European_bison_Bison_bonasus_L_in_Poloniny_National_Park_East_Carpathians_Slovakia |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Latvia}}: Animals were reintroduced in [[Pape Nature Reserve]] in 2007.
*{{flagcountry|Lithuania}}: 214 free-ranging animals as of 2017.<ref name=lithuaniabison2017>{{cite news | url = https://www.delfi.lt/grynas/gamta/misle-gamtosaugininkams-kaip-visa-buri-stumbru-perkelti-i-dzukija.d?id=76838203 | title = Mįslė gamtosaugininkams: kaip visą būrį stumbrų perkelti į Dzūkiją | date = 9 January 2018 | work = [[DELFI]] | access-date = 9 January 2018 | archive-date = 9 January 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180109181522/https://www.delfi.lt/grynas/gamta/misle-gamtosaugininkams-kaip-visa-buri-stumbru-perkelti-i-dzukija.d?id=76838203 | url-status = live }}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Moldova}}: Extirpated from Moldova since the 18th century, wisents were reintroduced with the arrival of three European bison from Białowieża Forest in Poland several days before Moldova's Independence Day on 27 August 2005.<ref name="molbis">{{cite news |last1=Invitat |first1=Autor |date=27 August 2005 |title=The Bison Come Back to Moldova |url=https://www.moldova.org/en/the-bison-come-back-to-moldova-4123-eng/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616162621/https://www.moldova.org/en/the-bison-come-back-to-moldova-4123-eng/ |archive-date=16 June 2020 |access-date=30 May 2020 |publisher=Moldova.org}}</ref> Moldova is currently interested in expanding their wisent population, and began talks with Belarus in 2019 regarding a bison exchange program between the two countries.<ref>{{cite news |title=Belarus, Moldova discuss bison exchange program |url=http://www.mlh.by/en/press-service/news/2584/ |access-date=30 May 2020 |agency=Ministry of Forestry of the Republic of Belarus |date=17 February 2019 |archive-date=28 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728032233/http://www.mlh.by/en/press-service/news/2584/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Bisons can be found in [[Pădurea Domnească]].
[[File:Pădurea Domnească - zimbru - 01.jpg|thumb|Bisons in [[Pădurea Domnească]], Moldova]]
*{{flagcountry|Netherlands}}: Natuurpark Lelystad: In 1976, the first wisent arrived from Białowieża. Natuurpark Lelystad is a breeding centre with a herd of approx. 25 animals living together with [[Przewalski's horse|Przewalski's horses]]. All wisents are registered in the European Studbook and are of the Lowland line. It is one of the suppliers for re-introduction projects in Europe. [[Zuid-Kennemerland National Park|Kraansvlak]] herd established in 2007 with three wisents, and expanded to six in 2008;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wisenten.nl/en/history|title=History {{!}} Wisentproject Kraansvlak|website=www.wisenten.nl|language=en|access-date=17 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318004008/https://www.wisenten.nl/en/history|archive-date=18 March 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> the Maashorst herd established in 2016 with 11 wisents;<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ark.eu/natuurontwikkeling/dieren/wisent/wisent-maashorst|title=Wisent Maashorst|date=17 March 2016|work=ARK Natuurontwikkeling|access-date=17 March 2017|language=nl|archive-date=27 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127064728/https://www.ark.eu/natuurontwikkeling/dieren/wisent/wisent-maashorst|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Veluwe herd established in 2016 with a small herd.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wisentopdeveluwe.nl/|title=Wisent op de Veluwe|work=Stichting Wisent op de Veluwe|access-date=17 March 2017|language=nl|archive-date=22 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422171130/http://wisentopdeveluwe.nl/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020 a new herd of 14 bison was established in the Slikken van de Heen.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} Numbers at the end of 2017 were: Lelystad 24, Kraansvlak 22, Maashorst 15 and the Veluwe 5, for a total of 66 animals.
*{{flagcountry|Poland}}: As of May 15th 2025 the number reached 3060<ref>https://zielona.interia.pl/przyroda/zwierzeta/news-mamy-rekord-zubry-w-polsce-przekroczyly-magiczna-granice-byl,nId,21400913</ref><ref>https://wbieszczady.pl/aktualnosci/liczba-zubrow-przekroczyla-wazna-granice-tu-zyje-ich-najwiecej/5JRk9prJvpfMuojiYG0g</ref><ref>https://wiescirolnicze.pl/newsy/rekordowa-liczba-zubrow-w-polsce-zakonczyla-sie-coroczna-inwentaryzacja,21640/</ref>. out of which 2855 were free-roaming<ref>https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=967033668850161&id=100066306111891&_rdr</ref>. Earlier years data showed that by the end of 2019 the number was 2,269, of which 2,048 were free-roaming and 221 were living in captivity, including zoos. A total of 770 belonged to the wild population in the [[Białowieża Forest]] and 668 to [[Bieszczady National Park]].<ref name="wyniki">{{cite web|url=https://smz.waw.pl/wyniki-inwentaryzacji-zubrow-w-polsce/|title=Wyniki inwentaryzacji żubrów w Polsce|date=14 April 2020|access-date=11 May 2020|archive-date=31 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731102038/https://smz.waw.pl/wyniki-inwentaryzacji-zubrow-w-polsce/|url-status=live}}</ref> The total population has been increasing by around 15% to 18% yearly.<ref name="lbn-pż" /> Between 1995 and 2017 the number of bison in Poland doubled; from 2012 to 2017 it rose by 30%.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=Professor Wanda Olech-Piasecka|date=10 January 2017|title=Ochrona żubra w Polsce. Wyjaśniamy kontrowersje|trans-title = Protection of the zubr in Poland. We explain the controversies|medium=Interview|location=Poland|publisher=Telewizja Lasów Państwowych}}</ref> Poland has been described as the world's breeding centre of the European bison.<ref name = pzł /> Zubr from Poland have also been transported beyond the country's borders to boost the local populations of other countries – among them Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Moldova, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and others.<ref name="90l">{{cite AV media|date=11 September 2019|title=90 lat ochrony żubra|trans-title = 90 Years of Zubr Protection|medium=Video|location=Poland|publisher=Lasy Państwowe}}</ref><ref name="swizbis" /><ref name="molbis" /><ref name="denbis" /> As the number of animals is growing, more bison are spotted in areas where they have not been seen in centuries, especially migrating males in Spring. The placement of about 40 free-roaming bison in the [[Lasy Janowskie]] in 2020/2021 resulted in ecologists' efforts to redesign some bridges of the S19 highway (constructed in 2020–2022) to allow large animals to cross it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dziennikwschodni.pl/janow-lubelski/zubry-w-lasach-janowskich-to-moze-byc-blad-alarmuja-ekolodzy-przez-droge-s19,n,1000251873.html|title=Żubry w lasach Janowskich? To może być błąd - alarmują ekolodzy. Przez drogę S19|access-date=11 May 2020|archive-date=30 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130145343/https://www.dziennikwschodni.pl/janow-lubelski/zubry-w-lasach-janowskich-to-moze-byc-blad-alarmuja-ekolodzy-przez-droge-s19,n,1000251873.html|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Bison Tracking Bunea © Calin Serban.jpg|thumb|277x277px|European Bisons in Făgăraș Mountains, Foundation Conservation Carpathia project area, Romania]]
*{{flagcountry|Portugal}}: A herd of 8 bisons were introduced in central Portugal for the first time in 2024 in Termas de Monfortinho and Herdade do Vale Freitoso, through the "Rewilding Portugal" programme.<ref name="rcb-radiocovadabeira.pt"/>
*{{flagcountry|Romania}}: The European bison were reintroduced in 1958, when the first two animals were brought from Poland and kept in a reserve in [[Hațeg]]. Similar locations later appeared in [[Vama Buzăului]] (Valea Zimbrilor Nature Reserve) and [[Bucșani, Dâmbovița]]. The idea of free bison, on the Romanian territory, was born in 1999, through a program supported by the World Bank and the European Union.<ref name="rl">{{cite news |last=Gheorghe |first=Dan |date=24 July 2011 |title=Uriașii din Carpați |trans-title=The giants of the Carpathians |url=https://romanialibera.ro/special/reportaje/uriasii-din-carpati-232132 |language=Romanian |location=romanialibera.ro |access-date=15 January 2021 |archive-date=21 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121194946/https://romanialibera.ro/special/reportaje/uriasii-din-carpati-232132 |url-status=live }}</ref> Almost 160 free-roaming animals, as of 2019, population slowly increasing in the four areas where wild bison can be found: Northern Romania – [[Vânători-Neamț Natural Park]], and South-West Romania – [[Țarcu Mountains]] and [[Poiana Ruscă Mountains]], as part of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20240616084938/https://life-bison.com/ Life-Bison project] initiated by WWF Romania and [[Rewilding Europe]], with co-funding from the EU through its [[The LIFE Programme|LIFE Programme]],<ref name="rl"/><ref>[https://rewildingeurope.com/areas/southern-carpathians/ Southern Carpathian] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205003815/https://rewildingeurope.com/areas/southern-carpathians/ |date=5 December 2019 }} (Rewilding Europe)</ref> but also in the Southern Carpathians, in the Făgăraș Mountains, as part of the Foundation Conservation Carpathia project, carried out within the LIFE Carpathia project.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LIFE Carpathia EN |url=https://www.carpathia.org/life-carpathia-en/ |access-date=2023-12-15 |archive-date=15 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215124110/https://www.carpathia.org/life-carpathia-en/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 2019, Foundation Conservation Carpathia has started to reintroduce the European Bison in the Făgăraș Mountains, after more than 200 years since their disappearance from the central forests of Romania. Foundation Conservation Carpathia aims to reintroduce 75 European bisons into the Făgăraș Mountains.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-05-27 |orig-date=27.05.2020 |title=The Făgăraș Mountains become home for the bison – the first release into the wild |url=https://www.carpathia.org/the-fagaras-mountains-become-home-to-bison-the-first-release-into-the-wild/ |access-date=15 December 2023 |archive-date=15 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215161711/https://www.carpathia.org/the-fagaras-mountains-become-home-to-bison-the-first-release-into-the-wild/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2024, 14 additional bison were brought to the southern Carpathian mountains from Germany and Sweden.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-05 |title=LIFE with Bison: 14 European bison brought to Romania from Germany and Sweden |url=https://www.romania-insider.com/bison-brought-romania-germany-sweden-june-2024 |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Romania Insider |language=en}}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Russia}}: As of 2020, the population of Wisents in Russia has greatly recovered and stands at 1,588 individuals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.belarus.by/en/press-center/press-release/belarus-home-to-almost-25-of-worlds-european-bison-population_i_117930.html |title=Belarus home to almost 25% of world's European bison population &#124; Press releases, Belarus |publisher=Belarus.by |date=2020-08-25 |accessdate=2021-12-28 |archive-date=18 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210918211700/https://www.belarus.by/en/press-center/press-release/belarus-home-to-almost-25-of-worlds-european-bison-population_i_117930.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Serbia}}: In March 2022, 5 animals (one bull and four cows) were reintroduced where bison went extinct c.1800. Animals were transported from the Białowieża Forest and reintroduced on the [[Fruška Gora]] mountain.<ref>{{cite news | author = National Park Fruška Gora | title = Posle dva veka bizoni ponovo hodaju Srbijom | trans-title = After two centuries, bisons roam Serbia again | newspaper = Radio Television Serbia | language = sr | date = 31 March 2022 | url = https://www.rts.rs/page/magazine/sr/story/2953/priroda/4761320/bizoni-na-fruskoj-gori.html | access-date = 1 April 2022 | archive-date = 1 April 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220401160257/https://www.rts.rs/page/magazine/sr/story/2953/priroda/4761320/bizoni-na-fruskoj-gori.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Slovakia}}: A bison reserve was established in [[Topoľčianky]] in 1958.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zubor.fotop.sk/en/|title=Zubria zvernica Topolčianky|access-date=22 October 2016|archive-date=22 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022221355/http://zubor.fotop.sk/en/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The reserve has a maximum capacity of 13 animals but has bred around 180 animals for various zoos. As of 2020, there was also a wild breeding herd of 48 animals in [[Poloniny National Park]] with an increasing population.<ref>{{cite web|title=Počet zubrov v Poloninách úspešne rastie, je ich už 48 a v lete pribudnú mladé|url=https://www.webnoviny.sk/nasvidiek/pocet-zubrov-v-poloninach-uspesne-rastie-je-ich-uz-48-a-v-lete-pribudnu-mlade/|website=Webnoviny|date=9 March 2020|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924114847/https://www.webnoviny.sk/nasvidiek/pocet-zubrov-v-poloninach-uspesne-rastie-je-ich-uz-48-a-v-lete-pribudnu-mlade/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Spain}}: Two herds in northern Spain were established in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rewildingeurope.com/blog/biggest-bison-transport-ever/|title=Biggest bison transport ever Rewilding Europe|last=OKIA|date=9 October 2012|access-date=12 February 2016|archive-date=15 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215021727/https://www.rewildingeurope.com/blog/biggest-bison-transport-ever/|url-status=live}}</ref> As of 2018, the total population neared a hundred animals, half of them in [[Castile and León]], but also in Asturias, Valencia, Extremadura and the Pyrenees.<ref>{{cite news |title=Segovia recibe nueve bisontes europeos para evitar su extinción |url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/3319083/0/segovia-bisonte-europeo-peligro-extincion-repoblacion-espana/ |access-date=24 September 2019 |newspaper=20 Minutos |date=20 April 2018 |archive-date=24 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924134727/https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/3319083/0/segovia-bisonte-europeo-peligro-extincion-repoblacion-espana/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Sweden}}: There are approximately 139 animals.<ref name="All About Bison:Europe"/>
*{{flagcountry|Switzerland}}: More than 50 animals.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Coming from Poland, one male and four females were introduced in November 2019 into the natural reserve and forest of [[Suchy]], [[Canton of Vaud|Vaud Canton]], western Switzerland. On 15 June 2020, the first baby of that population was born.<ref name="swizbis">{{Cite news|url = https://m.lematin.ch/articles/20565496|title = Cinq bisons sont arrivés dans la forêt de Suchy|newspaper = Le Matin|date = 7 November 2019|access-date = 8 November 2019|archive-date = 28 December 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211228030200/https://www.lematin.ch/story/cinq-bisons-sont-arrives-dans-la-foret-de-suchy-891748379218|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.laliberte.ch/news-agence/detail/bisons-premiere-naissance-dans-la-foret-de-suchy-vd/567145 | title=Bisons: première naissance dans la forêt de Suchy (VD) | access-date=14 July 2020 | archive-date=14 July 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714192425/https://www.laliberte.ch/news-agence/detail/bisons-premiere-naissance-dans-la-foret-de-suchy-vd/567145 | url-status=live }}</ref> Besides the Suchy breeding station, several zoos in Switzerland are keeping bison too. From September 2022, at least five animals will be kept in semi-freedom in [[Welschenrohr-Gänsbrunnen|Welschenrohr]], with hiking paths cutting through the enclosure.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raaflaub |first=Christian Raaflaub, Christian |date=2023-11-04 |title=Will a project to reintroduce European bison into Swiss forests work? |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/will-a-project-to-reintroduce-european-bison-into-swiss-forests-work/48946544 |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch |language=en-GB}}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|Ukraine}}: A population of around 400 animals, population was recently introduced to several national parks and is increasing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oliynik |first1=Larysa |title=BISON YEAR IN UKRAINE |url=https://vn.20minut.ua/Podii/naybilsha-v-ukrayini-populyatsiya-zubriv-meshkae-u-lisah-vinnichchini-11758781.html |website=Terrestrial ecosystems research |access-date=24 September 2019 }}</ref> State program of conservation and reproduction was approved in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Наказ Міндовкілля № 557 від 28.12.2022 – Міністерство захисту довкілля та природних ресурсів України |url=https://mepr.gov.ua/nakaz-mindovkillya-557-vid-28-12-2022/ |access-date=2024-11-21 |language=uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Eco-activists from WWF Ukraine managed to approve the action plan for the conservation of bison - Oj |url=https://odessa-journal.com/eco-activists-from-wwf-ukraine-managed-to-approve-the-action-plan-for-the-conservation-of-bison |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=odessa-journal.com |language=en}}</ref>
*{{flagcountry|UK}}: In 2011, 3 animals were introduced into [[Alladale Wilderness Reserve]] in Scotland. Plans to move more into the reserve were made, but the project failed due to not being "well thought through",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alladale.com/downloads/Alladalepress.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407115309/http://www.alladale.com/downloads/Alladalepress.pdf |archive-date=7 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the project was terminated in 2013.<ref name=AlladaleReserve/> 11 years later, 3 female bison were introduced to the [[West Blean and Thornden Woods]] in [[Kent, England]] on 18 July 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=European bison arrive near Canterbury to manage woodland |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-62164223 |access-date=18 July 2022 |date=18 July 2022 |archive-date=18 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718054022/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-62164223 |url-status=live }}</ref> A calf, also female, was unexpectedly born in September 2022, bringing the total number to 4.<ref>Joe Wright, 2022, [https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/kent-welcomes-first-wild-bison-born-in-uk-for-centuries-275657/ First wild bison born in UK for centuries at Canterbury woods following shock pregnancy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221021140927/https://www.kentonline.co.uk/canterbury/news/kent-welcomes-first-wild-bison-born-in-uk-for-centuries-275657/ |date=21 October 2022 }}, Kent Online</ref> On 24 December 2022 a bull was introduced after delays brought about by [[Brexit]]-related complications. This makes these 5 bison the first "complete" wild herd in the UK in thousands of years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-24 |title=Bull release completes UK's first wild bison herd in millennia |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/24/bull-release-first-uk-wild-bison-herd-millennia |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=25 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225091528/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/24/bull-release-first-uk-wild-bison-herd-millennia |url-status=live }}</ref> The birth of a male calf in winter 2023 and two female calves in October 2024 increased the herd's numbers to 8 animals.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome “two” the herd |url=https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/welcome-two-herd |website=Kent Wildlife Trust}}</ref>

====Distribution====
[[File:Turnir.jpg|thumb|Bison sparring in the reserve in [[Altai Mountains]], [[Russia]]]]

The largest European bison herds — of both captive and wild populations — are still located in Poland and Belarus,<ref name="lbn-pż" /> the majority of which can be found in the [[Białowieża Forest]] including the most numerous population of free-living European bison in the world with most of the animals living on the Polish side of the border.<ref name=ostoja /> Poland remains the world's breeding centre for the wisent.<ref name = pzł /> In the years 1945 to 2014, from the [[Białowieża National Park]] alone, 553 specimens were sent to most captive populations of the bison in Europe as well as all breeding sanctuaries for the species in Poland.<ref name=ostoja />

Since 1983, a small reintroduced population lives in the [[Altai Mountains]]. This population suffers from inbreeding depression and needs the introduction of unrelated animals for "blood refreshment". In the long term, authorities hope to establish a population of about 1,000 animals in the area. One of the northernmost current populations of the European bison lives in [[Vologodskaya Oblast]] in the [[Northern Dvina]] valley at about 60°N. It survives without supplementary winter feeding. Another Russian population lives in the forests around the [[Desna River]] on the border between Russia and Ukraine.<ref name="Sipko"/> The north-easternmost population lives in [[Pleistocene Park]] south of [[Chersky (urban-type settlement)|Chersky]] in [[Siberia]], a project to recreate the [[steppe]] ecosystem which began to be altered 10,000 years ago. Five wisents were introduced on 24 April 2011. The wisents were brought to the park from the [[Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve]] near [[Moscow]]. The bison originated from a population in Denmark. Winter temperatures often drop below −50&nbsp;°C. Four of the five bison have subsequently died due to problems acclimatizing to the low winter temperature.

Plans are being made to reintroduce two herds in Germany<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wisent-welt.de/|title=Startseite – Wisent Welt|access-date=20 November 2011|archive-date=3 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111203200821/http://www.wisent-welt.de/|url-status=live}}</ref> and in the Netherlands in [[Oostvaardersplassen]] Nature Reserve<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lhnet.org/second-group-of-3-european-bison-from-poland-bialowieza-was-released-today/|title=Second group of 3 European bison from Poland (Białowieża) was released today|publisher=Large Herbivore Network|access-date=14 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522153157/http://www.lhnet.org/second-group-of-3-european-bison-from-poland-bialowieza-was-released-today/|archive-date=22 May 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Flevoland]] as well as the [[Veluwe]]. In 2007, a bison [[Pilot experiment|pilot project]] in a fenced area was begun in [[Zuid-Kennemerland National Park]] in the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freenature.eu/free-en/free-nature-offerings/rewilding/bison-at-kraansvlak/|title=Bison|access-date=9 June 2012}}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Because of their limited genetic pool, they are considered highly vulnerable to illnesses such as [[foot-and-mouth disease]]. In March 2016, a herd was released in the Maashorst Nature Reserve in [[North Brabant]]. Zoos in 30 countries also have quite a few bison involved in captive-breeding programs.