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EUROPEAN BISON Bison Bonasus: Current State of the Species and an Action Plan for Its Conservation

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EUROPEAN BISON Bison Bonasus: Current State of the Species and an Action Plan for Its Conservation Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences BIA£OWIE¯A EUROPEAN BISON Bison bonasus: Current state of the species and an action plan for its conservation Compiled by: Z. Pucek, I.P. Belousova, M. Krasiñska, Z.A. Krasiñski and W. Olech Edited by: Zdzis³aw Pucek Bia³owie¿a 2002 European bison Authors’ team: Zdzis³aw PUCEK Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230 Bia³owie¿a, Poland E-mail: [email protected] Irena P. BELOUSOVA Prioksko-terrasnyi Biosphere Reserve, PO Danki 142274, Moscow Region, Russia E-mail: I.P. Belousova <[email protected]> Zbigniew A. KRASIÑSKI Bia³owie¿a National Park, 17-230 Bia³owie¿a, Poland Ma³gorzata KRASIÑSKA Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230 Bia³owie¿a, Poland E-mail: [email protected] Wanda OLECH Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Warsaw Agricultural University, Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland E-mail: [email protected] © Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Bia³owie¿a, Poland, 2002. (for pre-print version) 2 European bison Contents Preface ..................................................................... 5 11.3. Seasonal and daily activity rhythms ........ 30 Acknowledgements .................................................. 6 11.4. Reproduction and development .................. 31 1. Executive summary ............................................. 7 11.5. Population structure and organization ........ 32 2. Introduction ......................................................... 9 11.6. Regulation of European bison number in 3. Conservation status ............................................. 12 the population ............................................. 33 4. Origin of the European bison .............................. 13 11.6.1. Mortality ......................................... 33 5. Taxonomy ............................................................ 14 11.6.2. Culling ............................................ 33 6. Genetic structure of the species .......................... 14 12. Actual and potential threats................................ 34 7. Origin and genetic characteristics of breeding 13. Research needs .................................................. 36 lines ..................................................................... 16 14. Conservation strategy and recommended 8. Hybrids of European bison 19 actions ............................................................... 38 9. Distribution ......................................................... 20 15. References ......................................................... 47 9.1. Distribution of the species in historical Appendix I ......................................................... 51 times ............................................................. 20 Origin of the hybrids of North American 9.2. Recent distribution ...................................... 21 and European bison in the Caucasus 9.2.1. Captive breeding ................................ 21 Mountains, by Zablotskaya L.V., 9.2.2. Free-ranging herds .............................. 22 Zablotsky M.A. and Zablotskaya M.M. 10. World population number ................................. 24 Appendix II ...................................................... 55 11. Biology and population ecology ....................... 28 Rautian G. S., Kalabushkin B. A. and 11.1. Environment and habitat (relationship Nemtsev A.S. 2000. A new subspecies of between European bison and habitat the European bison, Bison bonasus available) .................................................. 28 montanus ssp.nov. (Bovidae, Artiodactyla). 11.2. Food and feeding ..................................... 29 Doklady Biological Sciences 375: 636–640 3 European bison 4 European bison Preface The struggle to rescue the European bison from guidelines, and adapted them to the specific problems of extinction began about 80 years ago, immediately after the European bison. The first steps towards preparing an World War I. Although the species no longer existed in Action Plan for the European bison were undertaken nature, a few bison remained in European zoological long ago. The Bison Specialist Group SSC/IUCN gardens. initiated the project in 1990. Soon after, a draft of An Action Plan for North American bison was prepared by Today the danger of extinction to this the largest the late Dr C.G. van Zyll de Jong – deputy chair of the mammal of the European Continent seems to have been Group, at that time. The IUCN had intended to publish averted; however, there remain many problems, as both plans for Bison bison and Bison bonasus in one detailed in this report. European bison breeders appear book. It appeared, however, that further work on an to have been very lucky; with little knowledge of the Action Plan for European bison was required, as well as species genetic structure, and using conservative increased international cooperation as political situations breeding methods, they have managed to rescue the in central eastern Europe and countries of the former species from extinction. This is a great success for USSR were rapidly changing; a factor that continued to nature protection in Central European countries, seriously affect the completion of the work. particularly in Poland. However, in the meantime, some ideas concerning Despite of the unquestionable success in rescuing the European bison conservation strategy have already European bison from extinction, there are however been outlined in a number of publications, concerning many problems concerning its future conservation and the World population (cf. Pucek 1991, 1992, 1994, recovery in contemporary human-managed ecosystems Pucek et al. 1996a), and more recently in regional of Europe; in particular, the incorporation of European aspects (Balèiauskas 1999, Kozlo 1999, Olech and bison into communities of large herbivores managed by Perzanowski 2002), but never completed with full hunters. Until recent history, the European bison was details. In relation to this, the workshop on “Population regarded as a game animal; therefore, its recovery to and Habitat Viability Assessment for the European this status could be regarded as another (further) Bison (Bison bonasus)” was very important. The conservation goal. workshop was organized in Poland (Woliñski National Park) in June 1995 by the Bison Specialist Group The main task of the European bison Action Plan SSC/IUCN and Conservation Breeding Specialist Group and its Conservation Strategy is to conserve this large SSC/IUCN, together with the European Endangered mammal as an integral part of Europe’s native fauna, to Species Programme (EEP) and Poznañ Zoological preserve its genetic variability, and enable free-ranging Garden (cf. Pucek et al. 1996b). The report resulting viable populations to function as a natural component of from this assessment has been also translated into European ecosystems. This goal can only be achieved Polish and Russian. Many results of this workshop are with international co-operation between those countries included in the present Action Plan. During the last few possessing bison on their territories and support from years, conservation strategies for the European bison those international organisations responsible for nature have also been developed in most of the countries conservancy in Europe. Financial assistance from where free-ranging herds exist. We therefore have the relevant funding bodies is essential. possibility to use these documents when published or The purpose of this report is to present up-to-date available. knowledge concerning the status of the European bison The team of compilers divided their roles as follows: and especially its origin, taxonomy, phylogeny, genetic Irina P. Belousova and Wanda Olech responded for structure, historical and recent distribution, population Chapters 6 and 7 (“Genetic structure of the species”, biology and ecology. Furthermore, we discuss the most and “Origin and genetic characteristics of breeding important actual and potential threats and research lines”), and related sections in other chapters, Zbigniew needs. These were prerequisite for outlining the global A. Krasiñski and Ma³gorzata Krasiñska drafted Chapter conservation strategy and necessary action plan for the 11 (“Biology and population ecology”), Wanda Olech species future protection and management. offered statistics concerning European Bison Pedigree During the creation of this report we referred to the Book (EBPB) and European Endangered Species IUCN Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan Programme (EEP). Zdzis³aw Pucek wrote the rest of the report and has edited all the text. As the report is a 5 European bison collective work, authors’ credits in each chapter or We may regard opinions expressed in this report as section are not given. An appendix is included to those that are generally accepted by the Bison Specialist explain origin of the hybrids of North American and Group SSC/IUCN (European part). Exceptions include, European bison in the Caucasus Mountains (Appendix the different views concerning the problem of necessary I) and their contemporary status as.a new subspecies, temporal isolation between genetic lines of Bison bonasus montanus is reported in Chapter 8. contemporary European bison and their strict separation from European and North American bison in Caucasus. The international workshop of the Bison Specialist We decided not to present these different attitudes in Group SSC/IUCN (European part) held in Bia³owie¿a
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