European bison in Borecka Forest

Abstract

The Borki Forest District is located in very beautiful part of Poland – so called Land of Thousand Lakes. The total area of Forestry Borki reaches almost 26 thousand ha and large part of it covers very rich ecosystem of Borecka Forest. Its area includes numerous nature reserves and nature monuments. European bison were transferred here in 1956 and six years later the free roaming herd has been established. In the beginning, the herd remained under supervision of Białowieża National Park but from June 1st of 1984, the Forestry Borki is in charge of this population. Actually the herd exceeds 80 individuals, and according to the Management Program for this population, the maximal number of animals foreseen for this area is 90.