Location

• Historical Range: Originally widespread across most of Europe until it was exterminated in the wild during the 1920s.
• Eastern Europe: Herds in Poland, Belarus, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria are believed to be purebred from original captive stock.
• Western Europe: Populations exist across other European countries, though their specific origin is unknown and may involve interbreeding with Caucasian or American bison.
• Habitat: They inhabit deciduous forests characterized by scattered open glades.

Description

The wisent is the largest European game animal.

• Size: Males stand 6–6.5 feet at the shoulder and weigh 1,750–2,000 pounds. Females are considerably smaller, weighing between 1,100–1,300 pounds.
• Physical Features: Both sexes possess a high shoulder hump, a short broad head carried low, and a relatively narrow body. They feature a mane of coarse, woolly hair, a short beard, and a tasseled tail.
• Horns: Short horns curve out and up from the head; females have slimmer horns than males.
• Comparison to American Bison: The wisent is taller and longer-legged with stronger hindquarters and weaker forequarters. It also has straighter horns, a shorter mane, and a longer, bushier tail.

Remarks

• Behavior & Diet: They live in herds of 10–30 led by an old bull, though older animals are often solitary. They are woodland browsers and grazers, feeding on grasses, acorns, twigs, buds, and leaves.
• Movement & Senses: While they usually walk, they can run well and are adept swimmers. They have a very good sense of smell and good hearing, though their eyesight is less developed.
• History & Conservation: After being wiped out in the wild, the current world population grew from a nucleus of just six animals combined in 1923.
• Taxonomy: Most biologists regard the European bison as a separate species from the North American bison. It historically consisted of two subspecies: the typical European bison (bonasus) and the now-extinct Caucasian bison (caucasicus).
• Hunting Classification: Due to differing origins, the Safari Club International (SCI) splits the category into “Eastern” and “Western” geographic descriptions.