Wild bison have returned to the UK for the first time in thousands of years. The steppe bison is thought to have roamed the woodlands until hunting and changes in habitat led to its global extinction. The European bisons (Bison bonasus) that were released this morning in Kent are descendants of this species and its closest living relative. A milestone in the project, led by Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, that is aimed to restore an ancient habitat and its wildlife.

A European bison with a WisentEdge collar at National Park the Veluwe in the Netherlands.

Part of the European bison herd at National Park the Veluwe, reintroduced in 2016.

The European bison, which tend to be taller than the American bison (Bison bison), is Europe’s largest land animal, a bull can weight up to a tonne. These ‘gentle giants’ were classified as extinct in the wild a century ago, but are recovering through rewilding projects across Europe. The ancient Steppe bison that once roamed the land that would later become England significantly impacted the landscape, providing other animals and plants with a healthy ecosystem. The now released European bisons are expected to have a similar impact. By rubbing against trees and eating their bark, these ‘wooly bulldozers’ create a feast of dead wood for insects, which provide food for birds. Which is great news as over 30% of UK birds are threatened with extinction. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. More than one in seven native species face extinction and more than half are in decline. Felling trees will additionally create sunny clearings for native tree species to regenerate and grow, ultimately changing the woodlands in a way that no other animal can.

The Smart Parks team, Tim and Ariet, building one of the Smart Park system sites.

Installing the second site, assisted by the Kent Wildife Trust team.

In February 2022 the Smart Parks team travelled to Kent to build the first Smart Parks system in the UK. The system creates LoRaWAN® coverage in the Blean Woods, making it possible to track the movement of the bisons. WisentEdge collars, which are power efficient GPS-LoRaWAN® devices, are placed on the animals. With lower power consumption than traditional GPS collars, and thus longer battery life, these sensors are especially suitable for tracking wildlife for multiple years by minimising intervention and disturbance. The near real-time updates will support the first-ever bison rangers with their important task to look after and manage UK’s first conservation herd. Smart Parks is involved in different rewilding projects that include the reintroduction of bison, in e.g., Zuid-Kennemerland and National park the Veluwe.

Handing over the WisentEdge devices to bison ranger Donovan Wright.

In June 2022, one of our team members Ariet Bouman, returned to Kent to train the Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust teams. The data from the WisentEdge collars, and RangerEdge trackers that will be used by the bison rangers and volunteers, are visualised in EarthRanger. EarthRanger is a software solution that support protected areas and conservation efforts to manage their projects by collecting, integrating and displaying sensing data on an interactive map. The Wilder Blean area is using the first EarthRanger application in the UK. Training the teams on how to manage the network, use the devices and end-user application EarthRanger will support the reintroduction efforts and we cannot wait to see what positive impact the bison will have in the beautiful Wilder Blean area.

Testing the RangerEdge tracker in the field.

Bison ranger Tom Gibbs is more than ready!

Summarising paragraph for press

Smart Parks is a Dutch non-profit organisation with the mission to protect endangered wildlife species across the globe with advanced technology. Last February the Smart Parks team travelled to Kent to build the first Smart Parks system in the UK. The system creates LoRaWAN® coverage in the Blean Woods, making it possible to track the movement of the bisons. WisentEdge collars, which are power efficient GPS-LoRaWAN® devices, are placed on the animals. With lower power consumption than traditional GPS collars, and thus longer battery life, these sensors are especially suitable for tracking wildlife for multiple years by minimizing intervention and disturbance. The near real-time updates will support the first-ever bison rangers with their important task to look after and manage UK’s first conservation herd. Smart Parks is involved in different rewilding projects that include the reintroduction of bison, in e.g., Zuid-Kennemerland and National Park the Veluwe.