European bison return to Britain after 6,000-year absence in landmark rewilding project

The European bison, a creature that stands up to two metres tall and weighs as much as a small car, has returned to the British landscape after an absence of 6,000 years. The Wildwood Trust in Kent launched the ambitious reintroduction project in 2022, releasing the continent's largest land mammal into the wilds of south-east England. The BBC's Travel Show, in a report by Roma Wells, documented the moment these giants began their new chapter on British soil.

Once roaming across vast swathes of Europe, from Scotland to Siberia, the species was driven to extinction in the wild in the early 20th Century, surviving only in captivity. The Kent release marks a significant milestone in rewilding efforts, bringing back an animal that has not been seen in Britain since the Neolithic period. The bison's return is expected to have profound ecological benefits, as the animals act as natural "ecosystem engineers," creating habitats for other species through their grazing, bark-stripping and wallowing. The project, part of a broader movement to restore Britain's depleted natural heritage, has attracted attention from conservationists across Europe. The Travel Show's coverage captures the drama and significance of the moment, as these magnificent beasts step out into a landscape their ancestors once roamed.