Deep in ancient woodland near Canterbury, construction has begun on two of four planned new bison bridges.
These structures will allow man and beast to coexist safely, giving the UK’s only wild bison herd the freedom to roam, and the public the chance to see them from fully accessible bridges complete with viewing panels.
The £1 million project, funded by multiple grants and private donors, will see the sensitively designed bridges take the public footpath, part of a network of local walking routes, up and over trails encouraging the bison to graze further afield.
The herd of initially three female bison was released into West Blean and Thornden Woods in Kent in July 2022 as part of the Wilder Blean conservation project, an innovative partnership between Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust pioneering the reintroduction of European bison in the UK.
However, under UK law, bison are classed as ‘dangerous wild animals’. To ensure compliance and public safety, 43 km of fencing has secured the 50 hectares the bison currently occupy. It’s hoped that by funnelling the big bovines under these new bridges into a larger area, it might ultimately be possible to remove the fencing.
Happily, the herd, now totalling six, continues to grow, necessitating the need for more space. As Simon Bateman-Brown of Kent Wildlife Trust says, “The bridges are a solution.” They will give the bison access to a total of 200 hectares without them coming into direct contact with the public.
But how will they know to venture beneath the new bridges? “The bison are naturally inquisitive,” says Bateman-Brown, “and whilst it may take them time to build up the courage to forage a little further, they will explore as much woodland as they can access."
According to a 2020 update of the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, European bison have moved from ‘Vulnerable’ to ‘Near Threatened’ thanks largely to ongoing conservation efforts.
Europe’s largest surviving land mammal, bison can weigh close to a tonne, which is partly why they were chosen for this project. Known as giant ‘ecosystem engineers’, their great heft inevitably shapes the landscape they inhabit by pushing through vegetation, creating light and space for wildlife such as insects and bats to flourish, and encouraging biodiversity and resilience to climate change.
In Kent, the bison are part of a wider natural woodland management solution, complemented, as Bateman-Brown says, “by a grazing assemblage of longhorn cattle, Iron-Age pigs and Exmoor ponies” in an area previously used as a plantation for non-native timber production.
It’s hoped all four bridges will be completed by spring 2025.
Words by Kirsten Henton, travel and history writer | Main image by Russell Perry Visual Studio
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