Monday 20 February 2012

"The huge bison can go from calm and placid to 'full attack mode' in seconds"

From The Daily Mail:

Deep in the forest, the thunder of mighty hooves announced a momentous arrival. Woolly bison, the largest European land mammal, are back in Britain.

Three young males from a captive breeding programme have been introduced to the New Forest Wildlife Park near Longdown, Hampshire. It is hoped they will soon have some female company so the park can begin breeding its own herd of the 6ft-plus beasts which became extinct in the wild in 1919, with a worldwide captive population of only 54.

Park manager Jason Palmer warned: "They weigh about a ton and they’re quite fast – you should never try to outrun them. They are quite temperamental animals but quite fascinating as well - one minute they can appear calm and placid and the next they can be in full attack mode."


Righty-ho, let's cross New Forest Wildlife Park off our holiday list.

4 comments:

Bayard said...

Just wait until Natural England come up with a plan to have them roaming wild throughout the New Forest, or the Scottish Highlands, or wherever they used to roam before they were hunted to extinction eight hundred years ago.

Pavlov's Cat said...

Madness, utter madness

A K Haart said...

Full attack mode? Sounds like some extra fun for the paintball fans.

Peter Smith - Rewilding said...

You can come and visit me Mark and experience them for yourself - I have three young bulls. twisted my ankle very badly last year vaulting a gate to get out of there way. The description is quite correct, my head keeper(who has 18 years experience of looking after them tells me they could toss you 12 foot in the air with their horns. And Yes I would like to see them re-introduced, as excellent woodland mangers.