New bison bridges to be built in Kent woodland
- Published
How did the bison cross the road?
No, it's not the start to a terrible joke - it's a question that has finally been answered by a nature reserve in Kent.
New bridges are being built to keep the animals and humans apart in a woodland on the outskirts of Canterbury.
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They're the first of their kind in the UK, and will help tourists to navigate the area while visiting, ensuring that they stay out the way of Europe's heaviest land mammals.
They're classed as dangerous wild animals in UK law, but walking above them over the new bridges will help people admire the bison from a safe distance.
Bison basics
There are two species of bison - the European bison, and the American bison
There are thought to be around 6000 European bison in the wild
They're mostly found in Poland and Belarus
The can reach top speeds of 35 miles per hour
They've classed as vulnerable, and their populations have declines as a result of farming and deforestation
Good news for Kentish bison
The bison were first brought over from Europe in July 2022 to West Blean and Thornden Woods as part of a wildlife project run by the Kent Wildlife Trust and Woodland Trust.
The project also included releasing Iron Age pigs, Exmoor ponies and longhorn cattle into the area.
The bison have done really well there - in fact, their population has doubled in size.
That's why £1 million is being spent on this new project, which will consist of four bridges.
The bridges will allow the bison to roam 200 hectares (494 acres) of land, rather than 50 hectares (123 acres) as they do currently, without having to close footpaths to the public.
Simon Bateman-Brown, from the Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT), said: “Once at the top, people will have a great vantage point to potentially catch a glimpse of the animals.”
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