A camera trap in a Polish forest has captured first-of-its-kind footage of a family of bison fighting off a pack of wolves.
On September 15 last year,five wolves began hunting the animals – only to be driven off.
The recording shows the pack surrounding a calf,biting its neck and attempting to drag it away before two cows come to the rescue.
The wolves return and seize the calf a second time in the background of the video — however,this time the entire bison herd comes to its defence.
The clip was recorded in the Białowieża Primeval Forest,the oldest and best-preserved temperate lowland forest in Europe,which hosts the world’s largest population of European bison.
A herd of bison came to the rescue of a young calf after it was attacked by wolves in Białowieża Primeval Forest (Picture: Wijnands & Borowik,/Cover Media)
The wolves attacked twice before being driven off (Picture: Wijnands & Borowik,/Cover Media)‘Although the video did not capture a direct kill,it suggests that other attacks on European bison could potentially be successful.’Historical records indicate that wolf attacks on European bison were once more common,with around eight kills recorded annually in the Białowieża Primeval Forest between 1840 and 1849.The forest was a popular hunting ground for monarchs from the 14th century onwards,helping to explain why such detailed records existEuropean bison went extinct in the wild in 1919,but were reintroduced to the Białowieża Primeval Forest in 1952.
It is the first time an incident like this has been captured on camera (Picture: Wijnands & Borowik,/Cover Media)The first confirmed bison kill since reintroduction dates to the mid-1990s,after which wolves appeared to shift their diet towards roe deer (Capreolus capreolus),red deer (Cervus elaphus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa),likely because these species are easier prey than bison.
