The Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve discussed the possibility of importing the animals from Poland to form a group of bisons of Bialowieza subspecies in the Bison Breeding Centre.

The international conference devoted to the preservation of bisons was held on September 8-9, 2016 in the city of Ostravetse, Poland. The annual event was attended by experts from Poland, Russia, Belarus, the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Denmark, as well as representatives from other EU countries. Russia was represented by the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve, the “Bryansk Forest Reserve and national parks “Orlovskoye Polesye” and “Smolenskoye Poozerye”. The Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve, represented by the Deputy Director of bison keeping and breeding, Irina Zemlyanko, presented two poster presentations on reproduction and the work with the bisons in the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve.

The range of issues addressed at the program of the conference was very wide: from the expansion of the range of wild bison herds in Europe to the mutual influence of the various wildlife species on the life of bisons and vice versa. A lot of veterinary issues were raised, for example, about such a disease as “blue tongue”, as well as the carriers of the disease – biting midges, the presence of the virus in them, and the concentration of biting midges in each area of bison habitat.

The participation in the conference brought great results: in addition to sharing experiences with experts from different countries, the first stage of negotiations on delivery of the bisons from Poland was successfully carried out. The bisons will form a group of Bialowieza subspecies bisons in the Bison Breeding Centre.