Twenty-one bison are scheduled to be released starting this weekend in two areas of the Făgăraș Mountains, Conservation Carpathia announced.

They will be released in Lerești and Pecineagu-Rucăr, in Argeș county.

The bison will form two new herds, in addition to a first herd released in the Pecineagu area in May 2020.

The rangers of the Conservation Carpathia will constantly monitor them to check the way they adapt and prevent them from getting near inhabited areas.

“Every year, we will add small bison groups; for this, we are permanently concerned with identifying the right bison and bringing them in. All the bison go through an acclimatization period before being released, a period allowing for the formation of group cohesion,” Adrian Aldea, wildlife manager with Conservation Carpathia, explained.

The bison disappeared from the country some 200 years ago. Following various reintroduction projects, there are now more than 100 bison in three different areas in Romania: Vânători Neamț Natural Park, Făgăraș Mountains and Țarcu Mountains.

The grazing done by the bison helps to maintain biodiversity-rich mosaic landscapes of forests and grasslands, while they also form a key component of local food webs.

(Photo: Gutescu Eduard | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com