Another group of bison arrived at the Turmonsky reserve, where they will be released into the wild

In the Bison nursery of the Oksky Nature Reserve (Ryazan region), the annual process of relocating animals into the wild has been completed. Work to prepare bison for capture and transportation to the release site is carried out in the nursery every autumn. Recently, six bison from the Oksky Nature Reserve were transported to the regional state natural zoological reserve "Turmonsky" (North Ossetia). Roszapovedtsentr reported this on its website.

“Two young one-year-old calves were included in the group for release - the female Metta and her brother Medomir. The bison grew up together in the same pen, so they will stay together in a group,” the message says.

All the bison endured the journey well, and on October 12 they arrived at their destination - the Turmonsky reserve. After leaving the cages, they looked around and went to have a snack.

in a thicket of Jerusalem artichoke. Gradually, the animals began to move around the large enclosure and get to know other bison. The meeting was friendly. “In a month they will be released from the enclosure into the wild,” said Ekaterina Tsibizova, head of the Bison nursery of the Oksky Nature Reserve, whose words are quoted in the message.

A week earlier, eight bison from the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve (Moscow region) arrived in the Turmonsky reserve.

According to the observations of specialists, both recently settled groups of bison have united and walk in one large group, headed by an adult female who arrived from the Oka Nature Reserve.

“We are calm and glad that when released into the wild, the entire group of bison will be under the strict guidance of an adult female. In the meantime, the animals will be in quarantine for a month. During this time, the receiving party, the Berkut State Budgetary Institution, plans to install two radio collars on the bison in order to monitor their movements after release. Thanks to these devices, scientists will be able to obtain valuable information about how bison develop the territory and not lose this group,” Tsibizova noted.

According to her, this year the Bison Nursery of the Oksky Nature Reserve has fully fulfilled the plan for resettlement into nature and the new shipment of bison will be in 2024.

This fall, the third delivery of bison from this nursery to the Turmonsky reserve took place; the previous two occurred in 2018 and 2020.