The relations wisent-environment in enclosure in Sycowice

Abstract

One of the tasks of bison restitution in Poland and Europe is to create semi-natural breeding enclosures, where bison would be able to breed within a restricted area and create a number of separate herds. It is not a new form of bison breeding, since several such enclosures have been created during the post-war period in Poland. The largest breeding center for European bison is in Pszczyna, and has been there since 1865. Despite the long-established breeding tradition in that part of Europe, as well as the need and readiness to create more herds, there is a need for test results indicating the development direction of the breeding enclosures, requirements set for breeders, as well as conditions that must be met for the animals to feel comfortable and develop properly. These are only some of the questions waiting to be answered – in fact, there are more of them, and they are much more detailed. The breeding enclosure in Sycowice attempts to provide at least partial answers – its main purpose is to conduct research on the relationship between bison and their environment. This project is being implemented by the Institute for Applied Ecology in Sko´ rzyn and the European Bison Friends Society. These animals’ lives, general welfare, condition and offspring rearing ability are dependent on the conditions of their habitat, ecosystem productivity being one of the most important ones, being responsible for free access to an unlimited natural food supply throughout an entire year. Annual results of tests conducted in Sycowice show that acclimatization to the new conditions was very fast and animals reach a high level of physical development, without causing much damage within their habitat.