European Bison Prga Met her Relatives
European bisons, which were on the brink of extinction, have been reintroduced into the wild in Poland.
As part of the reintroduction programme, Prague Zoo has already sent three European bisons to the South-East of Poland this year. These were two young bisons Prokop and Princezna in September and now the female bison called Prga.
Prga’s delay
“Prga was meant to leave in September, however, she had an atypical reaction to the anesthetic that was given to her. This is why her departure was postponed. We did not want to take any risks,” said the veterinary doctor of Prague Zoo Roman Vodička. This time there were no serious complications and Prga left the zoo on 24th October. After 800 kilometres she met the young bisons from Prague Zoo, Prokop and Princezna in an acclimatization enclosure in Bieszczady, Poland.
The matter is not won yet
The enclosure is located in a place where wild bisons come in autumn and winter time. “There is a big chance that the local herd will come into contact with the bisons from Prague Zoo. We assume they will make friends and we will be able to let them out in the wild next spring,” said the director of the Polish national park, Tomasz Winnicki. Bieszczady National Park is situated in the South-East tip of Poland on the border with the Ukraine and Slovakia. This is where one of the largest groups of the European bison live in the wild. The European Bison became extinct in its natural habitat at the beginning of the 20th century.
Prga is not Praga
According to the herd book, all European bisons born in Prague Zoo get names beginning with PR. Prga was born on 15th May 2009 as the 87th offspring in Prague Zoo. She is the first baby of Kala, who came to Prague from Lodz, Poland. For a long time, keepers thought that Kala had been infertile and to give birth at the age of fourteen was a big surprise. This is how Prga got her name (Prga means The First).
2. November 2011
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