Azerbaijan Grows Bison Herd From 12 to 37 in 7 Years

Seven years ago, twelve European bison stepped out of transport crates and blinked at their new home on the slopes of Azerbaijan's Shahdagh Mountain. Today, those zoo-raised pioneers have grown into a herd of 37, with 25 calves born wild in the mountain wilderness.

The story started with one male, the last remaining Caucasian bison living in a Western European zoo. Scientists bred him with European bison females to restore genetics that had vanished from the wild, launching a restoration effort that began in 2012 and reached its big moment in 2019 when the first animals were released.

World Wildlife Fund Azerbaijan, partnering with the UN Environment Program and Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, spearheaded the release into Shahdagh National Park. The region once teemed with these massive animals before hunting and habitat loss wiped them out completely.

"We now have a historic opportunity to restore our species," said Elshad Askerov, head of WWF Azerbaijan. The timing couldn't be better because Shahdagh's environment desperately needs help after Soviet-era overuse damaged soils and forests, leaving many animals without proper habitats.

The Ripple Effect

Bison do remarkable things for their environment beyond just looking majestic. Their shaggy coats carry seeds across miles of terrain, naturally replanting forests as they roam. Their grazing controls undergrowth that could fuel dangerous wildfires.

Their dung feeds countless plant and insect species, while their massive bodies trample and shape the landscape into a vibrant mix of grassland and woodland. This "mosaic" habitat gives dozens of other species the varied environments they need to thrive.

Azerbaijan's success is inspiring neighbors to follow suit. Askerov says another country in the region, possibly Georgia or Armenia, wants to replicate the project. The dream is for different herds to eventually meet and merge into one large Caucasian population roaming freely across borders.

The rewilding shows that patient, science-based conservation can reverse even the most devastating wildlife losses.