Wisent in the Thal: Bull shot dead
In livestock farming too, it is common practice to replace bulls after two or three years.
From the wisent herd of the project Wisent Thal in Welschenrohr, canton of Solothurn, a young bull born in the enclosure in 2023 had to be killed.
Despite an intensive search within the European Endangered Species Programme of the European zoo association EAZA and despite further contacts with a project in Romania, no placement could be found for the two-year-old bull.
The young bull could no longer remain in the herd, as wisent herds can accommodate only one bull at a time. Once a young bull reaches sexual maturity, there is a risk that the father will injure or even kill him, as he tolerates no rivals. In the wild, the young bull would first join a group of other young bulls before later seeking his fortune with a herd of cows.
The wisents of the Wisent Thal project are part of the European Endangered Species Programme, the EAZA. The aim of a conservation breeding programme is to maintain a genetically diverse and healthy population of the species in question. This is only possible if animals are exchanged regularly in order to prevent inbreeding. Castration is not a viable option, because castrated animals occupy limited keeping spaces and can no longer produce offspring. Furthermore, castration does not resolve the problem of competition between multiple bulls within a herd. If no placement can be found for an animal in another zoo, it must be killed.
The Wisent im Thal association will make use of the killed bull to the greatest extent possible. The meat will go to local restaurants in the Thal Nature Park. The hide, skull and other skeletal parts will be prepared for educational purposes.
The Wisent Thal project investigates whether the wisent, which was exterminated in the Middle Ages, can once again be sustainable as a wild animal in the Jura today. To this end, a test herd of wisents is being kept in an enclosure for 5 years. The herd originates from the Wildnispark Zürich Langenberg, which as a project partner is also responsible for coordination with the EAZA conservation breeding programme. The fenced test site in Welschenrohr belongs to the civic community of Solothurn and farmer and wisent ranger Benjamin Brunner. It continues to be used for agricultural and forestry purposes and is open to the public.
