But bison are still considered the main symbol of the animal world of the unique nature reserve, which are counted annually by Belarusian specialists. By the way, find out BELTA at the beginning of the year, the number of herds of these animals was 730 individuals – 27 more than last year, citing data published on the official website of the national park.
The meticulous work of the entire winter period was carried out using optical observation tools and the method of shooting from a quadricopter, specifies the agency. In a nutshell, his results confirm that the trend of annual increase in the number of bison in Belovezhskaya Pushcha continues. Last year alone, 103 calves were born here.
According to published statistics, more than half of the unique herd are adult females over 3.5 years old – there were 374 of them. A fifth of them are young animals from 1.5 to 3.5 years old. And adult males were counted 100 individuals.
As for the habitation of bison on the territory of the reserve, experts explain, their population is scattered over five territorial groups. The most numerous herd settled in the southern part of the forest (Sukhopolskoe, Shereshevskoe, Yasenskoe, Pashukovskoe, Korolevo-Mostovskoye forests). 323 bison live there.
The southwestern grouping, which includes the Belyanskoye and Dmitrovichskoye forests, is formed by 134 animals, and the northeastern (Novodvorskoye, Porozovskoye forests) – 142 individuals. The lowest number of bison was recorded in the Khvoynik and Svisloch forests – 67 and 56 individuals, respectively. In addition, eight bison are kept in excursion enclosures.
It would not be superfluous to recall that data on the primeval forest of Belovezhskaya Pushcha can also be found in the Ipatiev Chronicle of 983. Prince Vladimir Monomakh also long liked to visit the local forests, who hunted bison there, aurochs and red deer. But already at the end of the XIV century the forest was declared a protected area, where hunting was forbidden, and two centuries later the Forest Charter was issued, prohibiting deforestation in the forest.
