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Bison rangers wanted to oversee U.K. herd
- benbojangles 6y agoWhat's the difference between a Bison and a Buffalo. You can't wash your hands in a Buffalo. Brummie joke. Taxi!
- maybeOneDay 6y agoExcellent, thanks for the chuckle.
- falcolas 6y ago… Crazy. I’ve been around enough bison (at Yellowstone National Park and other nearby locations) to know that you probably want at least some exposure/experience with bison. They’re larger than moose, aggressive, and they range quite a bit.
- chiph 6y agoI was thinking that European bison were smaller than North American bison, but according to Wikipedia, not really. European bison have less variability in weight (800-1000kg) but American bison can be heavier depending on the individual (400-1275kg). I wouldn't want to be trampled by either. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bison https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bison
- sandworm101 6y ago>> They'll be kept in by an electric fence No, they will be encouraged to remain in the area by the fence. These aren't cows. They are taller, hairier, smarter, and will presumably be keeping their horns. If push comes to shove bison can, literally, walk strait through standard electric fences.
- JoeAltmaier 6y agoThere's a reason corrals for bison aren't fenced with normal metal posts or even wooden posts - but sections of telephone pole or even cement pylons. But experience will come quickly. Just one time watching two males rough-housing and "Oh. I understand."
- ethbr0 6y agoWe had a mild spook get into a herd coming down our path while fly fishing in Yellowstone. Cue ~20 bison thundering down a trail. I was on the other side of a boulder the size of an Escalade, and still didn't feel entirely safe. Some tourists do dumb things around them, but if you actually look it's very apparent they're both large and heavy.
- trhway 6y ago>sections of telephone pole or even cement pylons. image of bulls hitting the pole reminded from the childhood back then - the corner of our multi-apartment house frontyard near the turn of the road leading to the tank range had a large cement pylon - as the tanks driving in column raise clouds of dust and so the tanks inside the column don't see much and sometimes would miss the turn hitting the pylon as a result instead of our house.
- tantalor 6y agoMuldoon: "She had them all attacking the fences when the feeders came." Ellie: "But, the fences are electrified, though, right?" Muldoon: "That's right, but they never attack the same place twice. They were testing the fences for weaknesses, systematically. They remember."
- SteveGerencser 6y agoElectric fences only encourage containment with our cows (Highlands). One of our bulls steps between the wires and lets the fence shock him on the back for minutes on end with him only moving slightly to reposition the shock. I think he is doing his own TENS treatment for a sore back. I really need to record him doing that one day.
- zarkov99 6y agoThis is amazing. I did not realize there were any European bison left at all for thousands of years, where were they hiding them?
- maxrobot 6y agoPoland
- eCa 6y agoSpecifically in Białowieża Forest[1], which straddles the border with Belarus. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Białowieża_Forest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Białowieża_Forest
- Someone 6y agoSee also https://blog.nature.org/science/2017/08/22/remarkable-story-how-bison-returned-europe/ https://blog.nature.org/science/2017/08/22/remarkable-story-....
- Darmody 6y agoRomania. https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/news/wild-bison-back-mountains-southwest-romania https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/news/wild-bison-back-mountains...
- cal5k 6y agoOn a related note, Steven Rinella's book "American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon" is mandatory reading for anyone interested in the history of these magnificent beasts.
- DeBraid 6y agoWhile we're at it, The Meat Eater podcast (no affiliation) is a fantastic resource for all things nature, ecology, natural history. IOW it's not dedicated exclusively to hunting, guns, cooking wild game meat (~50%). ~50% of the content is a undergrad-level education on nature: conservation, cultural & natural history of Earth (principally North America). A few favourites: * https://www.themeateater.com/listen/meateater/ep-197-eating-folks-in-the-arctic https://www.themeateater.com/listen/meateater/ep-197-eating-... * https://www.themeateater.com/listen/meateater/ep-162-landscape-of-fear https://www.themeateater.com/listen/meateater/ep-162-landsca... List of Popular Meat Eater Podcasts: https://www.owltail.com/podcast/36913-meateater-podcast/best-episodes https://www.owltail.com/podcast/36913-meateater-podcast/best...
- ThisIsTheWay 6y agoA few seasons of the Meat Eater show are on Netflix as well. I have been very impressed with the production quality - filming a hunt in extreme terrain and weather conditions has to be such a challenge, but every show is fantastic.
- rupi 6y agoHis book ‘Scavenger’s Guide to Haute Cuisine’ is great as well. I always feel it is his most underrated work.
- ThisIsTheWay 6y agoI'm on page 104 right now and I cannot put it down. Highly recommended to everyone, but especially those who are into the natural history of North America. My wife is probably so tired of me talking about random bison facts, but its her own fault for getting it for me for Christmas...
- blacktulip 6y ago>> European bison, like this one, will be introduced to roam in the wild in the Blean woods near Canterbury, England, next spring. OK this is where I live. I sometimes take walks in the Blean woods. Should I worry about an accidental encounter?
- londons_explore 6y agoThey generally won't attack unless you move.
- nitrogen 6y agoSome bison will attack unpredictably. Antelope Island in Utah seems to have some aggressive individual bison. Two experienced trail runners were attacked and a third killed in the space of about a year.
- randompwd 6y ago> They'll be kept in by an electric fence, according to Smith. Not unless you're a ghost.
- sandworm101 6y ago>> Should I worry about an accidental encounter? Don't worry. The electric fence will keep you out of their territory.
- OnlyMortal 6y agoWhat could go wrong? Will it be followed by releasing apex predators to keep their numbers under control?
- mushbino 6y agoYes. Humans.
- ldiracdelta 6y agoLook up "Yellowstone Bison" encounters. Bison are NOT domesticated cows.
- alex_young 6y agoI grew up across the road from the National Bison Range in Montana. This kind of thing can work well if you give them enough area and manage their migration properly. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bison_Range https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bison_Range
- beauzero 6y agoPablo and then Ronan for me. Dad (Claar) was the lead wildlife biologist for Salish & Kootenai in the 80s and 90s. Good to see a few of us here. Believe it or not we are in Georgia now and there are Bison ranches down in south Georgia...pretty sizable ranches and they do well here too. Which side Mission or Dixon side?
- alex_young 6y agoHa! We’re over represented on HN then. I was on highway 200, between Ravalli and Dixon. Sounds like your dad did some great work. My folks live in Mission now, and I love taking them to Ninepipe when I’m in town. Home is in Northern California at the moment. Cheers!
- vermontdevil 6y agoBuffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
- safog 6y agoOn an unrelated note, the older I get, the more it amazes me that there are so many ways to make a living in the world. Every day I discover a little part of the economy where people are not doing something bog standard and yet can make ends meet, have job security and have enough fun with their jobs that they can seemingly do them forever. On the other hand, there are so many more jobs where people are barely making ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck, so maybe it's more important to focus on that.
- pvaldes 6y agoSimilar projects had been tried several times in Spain since decades, with none or low success at long term. Animals dying poisoned or being stolen was not uncommon after farmers protesting. The animals need also a lot of supplementary food and space to thrive and of course CAN'T be left wild and roaming at their own will, specially close to roads. Hunters and farmers lobbies will always are problematic for their survival
- heybecker 6y agoThere shall be only one! Me!
- cafard 6y agoIn one of Gerald Weinberg's books, maybe The Secrets of Consulting, he quotes a Nebraska neighbor only "the buffalo bridle": you can make a buffalo go anywhere it wants to go, and you can keep a buffalo out of anywhere it doesn't.