Ground-breaking wilding project welcomes the birth of two female bison calves

Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, the two charities behind the Wilder Blean bison project, a ground-breaking award-winning conservation project in Canterbury, Kent say they are delighted to have welcomed two calves to the herd.

The new arrivals were conceived and born in West Blean and Thornden Woods and have increased the wild bison herd population in the project to eight. The founding herd of three females and a bull was released in 2022 with four calves born in the woodland since. Conservationists say that the calves are genetically important, coming from a specially selected lineage and will now form part of the European breeding programme. 

Bison Ranger for Kent Wildlife Trust Hannah Mackins described the moment she realised one of the calves had been born: 

“The rangers check the bison daily and the herd sometimes hear us working around here and come up to see us. On this occasion, to my absolute astonishment, one of the females came up behind the group and I saw underneath her she had a little calf. 

“Although we were thinking she might have been pregnant, we weren't expecting to have an arrival so soon and the fact she was confident enough to bring her calf up to the corral where she knew we were working was such an honour.”

As the team welcomed the new arrival, just four days later, they were met with more joyous news when a second calf was born. Ranger Hannah continued:

“We are absolutely delighted by the arrival of the calves, they're both doing really well. They're suckling from mum, growing quickly by the day. Their little horns are already starting to come through and we're happy with the progress of the herd. They're all protecting the calves well, spending time out in the woods and occasionally coming up to see us as well. So, we're really happy with how the herd are doing.”

Paul Whitfield, Director General of Wildwood Trust, said:

“It’s always been part of this project to allow the herd to grow naturally over time through breeding. These births show that the animals are showing natural healthy behaviours and  thriving in the woodlands that they are regenerating. In time it would be wonderful for some of these animals bred here in Kent to start new herds for other projects like this.”

The herd has been placed in the woodland to boost biodiversity and make the area more resilient to climate change. Bison are known as eco-system engineers, helping other species to thrive through their natural behaviours. They strip bark from trees, creating standing deadwood which attracts invertebrates and birds and their dustbathing sites create habitats for amphibians and attract burrowing insects. Through their sheer size, bison create corridors through dense woodland, opening up the forest canopy and bringing light to the forest floor encouraging woodland regeneration. 

The herd now consists of eight members, four adults who were chosen from other projects and four calves that were born in the woodland. 

The matriarch from Scotland arrived with two younger females from Ireland and were released in July 2022. Then, in the late summer of 2022, bison rangers welcomed the first calf born in the woodland after one of the younger females from Ireland gave birth. This was a surprise as no one knew the young bison was pregnant when she arrived. Then, just before Christmas in December 2022, the bull from Germany was released.

The bull got to work quickly and in winter 2023 the matriarch gave birth to a male calf. The most recent arrivals are both females and have been sired by the bull and come from the two younger females from Ireland.

Since their release into West Blean and Thornden Woods, the bison herd have roamed in 50 hectares of woodland, however in September 2024 the construction started on the UK’s first-ever bison bridges. Once the bridges have been installed, the herd can access 200 hectares. The installation of the bison bridges cost £1m and has been made possible thanks to generous funding.  Kent Wildlife Trust were grateful to receive £245,773 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund with National Highways Environment and Wellbeing Designated Fund as part of the Network for Nature programme, The Michael Uren Foundation, Veolia Environmental Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation and private donors contributing to the cost of the build.

Under UK law, European bison are classified as dangerous wild animals. To meet legal requirements 43 kilometers of fencing surround the bison areas to keep the public and the herd separate. However, this proves problematic in the Blean woodland as it hosts an impressive network of footpaths crisscrossing the site. The bridges are the solution allowing the bison to cross the footpaths, without sharing the same space as the public.

Planning permission has been granted for four bridges which will see the bison pass underneath as visitors to the area walk over the bridge. Once at the top, people will have a great vantage point to potentially catch a glimpse of the animals.

The construction of the first two bridges should be completed by the end of 2024 but will need to be safety-checked before allowing access to the public. In the interim several measures will impact visitors to the area with the limited car park access and some trails temporarily re-routed. People intending to visit West Blean and Thornden Woods are advised to check the website before visiting and plan their trip accordingly.