The ‚wisent forest‘ is the scene of a unique project for the reintroduction and conservation of endangered species.
It is a historic date: on March 24, 2010 the first wisent arrived in Bad Berleburg. Bull Egnar came from the enclosure Hardehausen near Warburg-Scherfede to the Rothaargebirge.
About three years later, on April 11, 2013, the group of eight wisents at Bad Berleburg was released into the wild, after approximately ten years of preparing work. In the meantime, the group has grown to ten members.
The herd of the reintroduction
Loophole in endangered species project
Free living wisents in a managed forest: this is unique in Western Europe. After many centuries, the Kings of the forest return to their original home. In the wild, the herd should grow to a size of maximum 20 to 25 animals by natural multiplication.
The vision of the free grazing gentle behemoths now became reality. The wisent herd was released to the freedom of the ‘wisent forest’, in the spring of 2013. The project will be accompanied by scientists of four university groups and other independent researchers.
Due to the enormous range of the wisent forest, hikers will hardly be able to spot the animals. Therefore, a peephole in the conservation project is created with the ‘Wisent-wilderness on the Rothaarsteig’. In the ‘Wisent-wilderness on the Rothaarsteig’, visitors can watch and experience a second herd on only 20 acres with a good likeliness to see the animals.