Target: Frans Schepers, managing director of Rewilding Europe
Goal: Commend efforts to conserve European bison, a rare species that was once extinct in the wild
Seventeen bison were recently released into the wilds of the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. The release was part of ongoing efforts to reintroduce the species to its natural habitat, after the last wild European bison was killed in Poland in 1927. This was one of the largest releases since the reintroduction of bison began in the 1950′s. Thanks to these efforts. there are now around 5,000 wild bison in the forests of Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, and Kryygzstan. Please take action to commend Rewilding Europe, the group responsible for organizing the latest release of bison into the Carpathian Mountains.
The European bison stands two meters tall and weighs as much as 1,000 kg. Also known as the wisent, the species is smaller than the American bison, although taller at the shoulder. It also has longer horns and a longer tail than its American counterpart. It is the heaviest land animal in Europe. The species was extinct from the wild by 1927, due to many years of hunting and habitat loss.
Despite it’s increasing numbers, which are thanks to the gradual reintroduction of the species that began in the 1950s, the European bison is still rarer than the black rhino of Africa. This is why it is crucial that organizations such as Rewilding Europe continue to introduce more European bison back to the species’ historic range.
According to Frans Schepers, managing director of Rewilding Europe, “It has a big symbolic value, bringing back animals. I’ve done that a lot in Africa, with rhinos and elephants, but in Europe it is very rare. Releasing animals, giving them space, is a sign of hope, it shows that if we choose, we can help wildlife come back.” Please sign this petition to commend Rewilding Europe for its efforts in helping to re-establish the European bison, or wisent, to its historic habitat.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Director Schepers,
I was very pleased to learn about the recent release of seventeen bison into the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, which was coordinated by your organization, Rewilding Europe. The reintroduction of the European bison into its historic range is a great success story. Thanks to reintroduction efforts that have been going on since the 1950s, the population of wild European bison has increased from zero to 5,000.
Thanks to the actions of conservationists, species that were endangered or extinct in Europe are now being returned to the wild. I would like to commend Rewilding Europe for its efforts to re-establish the European bison, as well as for its other efforts at restoring wildlife to Europe.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Valene Aure via Wikimedia Commons