Europe is Getting Wild(er), The Return of Bison and Wolves!
Europe is welcoming back their lost biodiversity, including wild wolves. This adult and youngster were photographed in Poland by ©Martin Grossman
Roberta Kravette, co-founder, Destination: Wildlife
Music and art, castles, culture, customs, and cuisines – that’s what Europe is all about! Exciting capital cities and picturesque towns and villages punctuated by snow-capped mountains surrounded by fields of flowers – isn’t it? How do bison, wolves, beavers, and lynx fit in? Beautifully!
Why is Europe Going Wild?
This is the second of two articles ( see: Europe’s Keystone Species Make a Comeback. A Tale of Beavers and Cats) celebrating the fantastic rewilding of Europe and the UK led by the independent nonprofit Rewilding Europe, established in June 2011. The organization is a pan-European collaboration of numerous partners at the European, national, and local levels. Their mission and goal is: “…to demonstrate the benefits of wilder nature … to inspire and enable others …by providing tools and practical expertise …. to Create a Europe that is richer in nature and more resilient to climate change.”
That is a beautiful plan that benefits everyone! But….
What Have Bison and Wolves Got to do with Climate Change?
Wolves are a keystone species. As the apex predator in an ecosystem, they keep the balance. This one is in the Bieszczady Forest, Poland. Image: ©Szymon Bartosz
There may be differing theories on the causation of the changing climate, but few disagree that centuries-long worldwide biodiversity decline is accelerating it. The good news is that, over time, restoring lost plants and wildlife can help. But the process is not easy or fast. Restoration of biodiverse ecosystems can be a many-decade process of research, planning, political will, education, and community buy-in.
So, with this monumental task at hand, why is Rewilding Europe worried about species like bison, wolves, beaver, and lynx? Each member of this improbable group, keystone species all, is vital for preparing their habitats for broader species restoration. The Beaver and Lynx story is here.
But today, let's look at the most controversial return of all …
The Return of the Wolf!
Wild wolf (plus ravens and a magpie) enjoys its kill in the Bieszczady Forest, Poland, part of the Carpathian Mountains. Other species found here include Lynx, Brown bear, Roe and Red deer, European bison, Otter, and Wild boar. Image: ©Szymon Bartosz
Mythology made monsters of our four-footed family members' ancestors, leading to eradication from the UK in the 14th century and most countries across Europe (and North America) by the 18th and 19th.
Europe’s wolves were close to extinction, with only about 100 individuals scattered across the continent, when in the 1970s, wolf conservation efforts first quietly began. But wolves are adaptable and intelligent survivors. One vital refuge for a tenacious few was the rugged Carpathian Mountains of Poland and Romania.
Forty years later, in 2012, the year after Europe’s Rewildling initiative started, a wolf census revealed approximately 11,000 individuals across Europe, and by 2023, they had reached 20,300 individuals!
Why Welcome Back Canis lupus?
Ecosystem Balance. The wolf is an apex predator at the top of the food chain; their presence or absence in an ecosystem causes behavioral changes in prey animals, including ungulates and other smaller mammals – and that changes the landscape.
Without the wolf's balancing effect, populations of browsers like deer and wild boar tend to grow beyond what the landscape can support, leveling shrubs, extinguishing new growth, and trampling stream beds and riverbanks. Habitat changes can cause the decline of smaller mammals and birds - or the explosion. The ecosystem becomes unstable. This domino effect is called a trophic cascade and works in both directions.
If Europe’s Wolves Are Not Being “Reintroduced” – Where Are They Coming From?
Wild wolves in a Bavarian forest (Germany) Says wolf expert, Uwe Friedel, “…they are less dangerous than branches from trees falling on my head …” Image: ©Vladimir Cech
The wolves appearing in their historic European ranges are not being “brought in” as was the case in Yellowstone; they are arriving the old-fashioned way, they are walking.
A wolf pack (usually) consists of related family members, the breeding pair ("Alphas"), and their young, usually up to about 3 years old, who stay in the natal group learning and helping to raise the season's new pups. But dispersal is part of the wolf's DNA. Their protected status means more young are surviving - and more disbursing.
Young adults, hankering to mate, leave the pack to establish new territories of their own, sometimes covering hundreds of miles. In the last decade, they have increased their European range by an estimated 25%
Today, they can be found in every European mainland country. However, the reviews are mixed. Wolf repopulation is as political and controversial in Europe as it is in the US.
Wolves and (Community) Economics in the U.S.
Wolf watching adds $82 million dollars annually for communities in the Greater Yellowstone area. Additionally, this group’s trip raised money for the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York. Image: Les Medley for Destination: Wildlife
“If it pays - it stays” is one not-so-pretty conservation reality. The lucrative safari industry is why we still have elephants, lions, and mountain gorillas in Africa - and, although anti-wolf sentiment continues to rage in the U.S., wolf-watching tourism’s economic windfall in the Yellowstone area is a mighty strong argument for live and let live Canis lupus style.
A Brief Timeline of Wolves in the US:
1926 - the last Gray Wolf killed in Yellowstone
1974 - Gray Wolf listed as an Endangered species
1995 - Reintroduced in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming in 1995.
2024 - The estimated revenue from Yellowstone wolf tourism is $82 million annually, most of which goes directly into the Greater Yellowstone communities.
Live wildlife can pay sustainable economic dividends - can it help wolves and other predators in Europe? Time will tell.
Pro or Con, “Wolf” is a Hot-Button Issue
In 1979, the Bern Convention made wolves “a strictly protected species.” In 1992, the EU Habitats Directive formalized it. Regardless, “wolf“ remains a hot-button issue among all stakeholders on all sides of the “Pond”, with fears of wolf-on-human (or pet) attacks and livestock predation as prime arguments against them. However, according to a Norwegian Institute for Nature Research study, the risks associated with a wolf attacking a human are "above zero, but far too low to calculate."
My favorite summation of the danger of wolves to humans comes from (Earth Island Journal) Uwe Friedel, a wolf expert at BUND Naturschutz Bayern (German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation in Bavaria), he said:
"We have not had a single wolf attack since 2000, since the wolf returned to Germany," Friedel said. "They're less dangerous than wild boar and less dangerous than dogs. They're less dangerous than branches from trees falling on my head if I move through the forests."
Note to self: Watch out for falling branches in the forest!
The Journal goes on to state: The European Commission's report notes that "no fatal wolf attacks on people have been recorded in Europe in the last 40 years.”
On the other hand, as wolves repopulate rural areas, attacks on livestock do happen and can devastate a single farmer or small community. Still, electric fencing and trained dogs are two wolf-deterrents making a difference.
The Wolf Waltz, Brussels Back Steps, Then Pushes Back
Wolves are exceptionally adaptable and when allowed to live, they do well in a variety of climates from warm Spain and New Mexico to the Arctic. These are in Norway. Image: ©Kjetil Kolbojornsrud
Unfortunately, in December 2024, in a grim turn of events, EU Countries voted to change wolf status from "strictly protected" to "protected," lowering culling thresholds. The vote came after a sudden push by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whose pony was killed – possibly by wolves, in 2022.
But all is not lost, EU Commission members were heard describing von der Leyan's wolf obsession as "strange," "bizarre," "puzzling," … and "pushy." OH Dear!
Laurent Schley, head of Luxembourg's governmental wildlife department, told the BBC, "If we expect countries like India or Indonesia to protect their tigers … and Africans to protect lions and elephants, then we as relatively rich Europeans should be willing to tolerate some wolves"
Well said! Tolerance and (responsible, paying) tourism can make a balanced ecosystem all the sweeter.
However, on Friday, March 07, 2025, the European Commission formally proposed to make it easier to hunt wolves.
There will always be people and groups wanting to eliminate wildlife, and not just predators, mostly because of their own misguided fears and lack of understanding. This is a special report on the “slippery slope” of downgrading wolf protection from Euractv’s Advocacy lab.
The Best Place to Look for Wild Wolves in Europe
Wolves are human-wary and stay hidden, likely watching you unseen while you search for them. That said, with a professional guide, Sweden is a good place to look (and listen) for wolves. Wolves live in the Bieszczadt National Park and Wildlife Reserve in Southern Poland, part of the UNESCO East Carpathian Biosphere Reserve, and the Carpathian mountains in Romania (hunting is allowed, but Romania's Southern Carpathian instituted a large "No-Take" core.) On a very lucky day, you may even glimpse them in Italy's Abruzzo mountains in the Apennine range.
In Germany, a recent (11/2024) report by Germany’s Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) found the states of Brandenburg and Saxony with the most wolves, with about 1339 adults, yearlings, and pups - although they also counted 193 dead from vehicle strikes. The Bavarian Forest National Park has a small, newly documented pack. Will you see one? The wolves would prefer you didn’t; it is more likely they will see you than you see them. However, listen! You’ll hear them, and look for tracks and scat - and maybe - just maybe you will catch a glimpse. It is well worth the effort.
And Finally, Bison
The Improbable (not so cute) Keystone Species
Bison in the Bialowieza Forest, Poland There foraging and fertilizing create habitats for a plethora of species Image: ©Smellme
Winning the prize for the most unlikely to be imagined running wild in the land of art, music, and culture, centuries after extirpation – bison roam again!
North American Versus European Bison
North American Bison. like these in Yellowstone National Park, are shorter but heavier than their European cousins. Image Cara McGary for In Our Nature guiding service.
European bison are taller at the shoulder but lighter in weight than US buffalo. While their mane is shorter, the European's tail and horns are longer than their US counterparts. They are mostly (now) forest dwellers, while US bison are found on the plains.
The European bison (wisent) once thundered across the continent, from central France to Russia's Volga River, into the Caucuses, and beyond. Like its US cousin, it was hunted to extinction.
Bison were extirpated across Europe by the twentieth century, with Poland's last bison killed in 1919. By 1927, they were extinct in the wild when the final bison in the Russian Caucuses was killed. Thankfully, 54 animals were safely kept in zoos.
The Big European Bison Comeback
Bison in Germany near Strangerode. All is not rosy with reintroduced Bison, the big bovines wrecked havoc with forest farms in Rothaarsteg. Image: ©Wildstock Bison
The first bison were released back into Poland's Bialowieza Forest in 1954.
By 2020, European bison were relisted from IUNC "Vulnerable" to "Near Threatened."
Today, Europe has about 7,500 animals, with approximately 4,000 free roaming. To give perspective, Yellowstone National Park averages about 4,500, peaking at roughly 6,000. And "Near" Threatened does not mean stable; shrinking, fragmented habitats and lack of genetic diversity are significant challenges. But thanks to the work of many organisations, zoos, and breeding centers, the bison is back from the brink.
Europe's largest bison herd roams the Bialowieza Forest. Small herds are found in Germany, Switzerland, Belarus, and Lithuania, and bison wander Romania's Southern Carpathian Mountains and Bulgaria's Rhodope Mountains for the first time since the Middle Ages!
British Bison:
A Tale of One Lost Romeo, Three Lonely Ladies, and an Unexpected Entrance
Britain has its own rewilding initiatives. After a 12,000-year absence, in July 2022, three female bison, imported from Ireland and Scotland, were reintroduced into Southern England's Blean Woods, approximately 509 hectares/1,257 acres of ancient forest (broadleaf oak, hazel, and birch.)
By the end of the month, there were four. Unbeknownst to the rewilders, one bison female had done "the wild thing" before being transported (a final fling?), and a new calf was born in Blean.
The ladies and calf adjusted to their new home, albeit without the bullish companionship they’d been "promised." It seems their German gentleman was all tied up in Brexit paperwork.
Finally, in December of that year, the bull finally joined the ladies. The stalwart females took it in stride, welcoming the belated bull. Today there are six members of the herd. Good work!
Rewilding comes with a cost: a lottery and two nonprofit organizations, The Wildwood Trust and the Kent Wildlife Trust, funded the Blean Woods bison project. Interestingly, Exmoor ponies, long-horned cattle, and iron-age pigs were also released.
Why rewild Bison? Biodiversity and (Astounding!) Carbon Capture!
Wild bison Image: ©Jens Otte
Bison are not "cute," and the huge beasts are notoriously humorless. But perhaps the Kent Wildlife Trust's Mission statement sums it best, "Restoration of a complete natural process …" Reintroduced bison act as ecosystem engineers, allowing humans to step back and let nature take its course, restoring a "functional and thriving ecosystem."
A computer model developed by Yale University School of the Environment in cooperation with the Global Rewilding Alliance shows that a group of just 170 bison grazing within 48 sq.km ( ~ 12,000 acres) of grasslands can capture approximately 2 million tons of carbon That is nearly 10 times more than without the bison and equals the annual output of 84,000 gas-running cars.
Further, according to studies, "… Bison increase plant species richness." Their foraging, trampling, and … fertilizing … enrich forests and grasslands and create micro-habitats of plants and wildlife species. Bison reappearance is a stepping stone to reviving populations of everything from bugs to birds and beasts.
Best Places to See Wild European Bison
Bison might be seen in Romania's Southern Carpathian or Tarcu mountains and Poland's Bialowieza Forest.
Moving The Wild World Forward - A Reason for Optimism
A wolf in Bavaria steps out of the forest to survey its world. Image: ©Klomsky
Wildlife does not (usually) standstill. To thrive, animals require expanses of healthy habitat. ReWildling Europe and WWF Romania have partnered to create one of Europe's largest contiguous wild areas – over 3 million protected hectares (7,413,162 acres or 3 times the size of Yellowstone National Park's 2.2 million acres)
Beavers, bison, lynx, and wolves, I’m feeling a little more optimistic knowing they are out there.
Oh! And don't forget the birds! Simultaneously, great avian restoration work is also being done. You can read about Spain’s returning birds here.
Let's hope that Europe's happy, healthy, wild trend continues! A more biodiverse planet is a healthier planet - and so are we.