Animals Bison in the Solothurn valley get twice as much exercise

The enclosure for the reintroduction of the bison in the Solothurn Jura is being enlarged from 50 to 100 hectares. This will make it more difficult to observe the herd, which has grown from five to ten animals, the Wisent im Thal association announced on Thursday.

The new area is wooded, meaning that the bison now have around 87 hectares of forest and 13 hectares of meadows and pastures at their disposal. The fenced enclosure is still accessible via entrance gates and visitors can move around freely.

However, the extension marks the end of the time when it was usually easy to spot the bison. There are only a few paths available and there are considerable differences in height. Even on guided tours, sightings of the animals can no longer be guaranteed, according to a statement from the association.

Five animals born in the area

Of the ten bison, five are young animals that have been born in the Sollmatt area in Welschenrohr SO since the start of the project in November 2022. If the bison had less contact with humans, they could also become shyer, which is beneficial for both animals and humans.

Visitors must still keep a distance of at least fifty meters from the bison. According to the association, bison are generally very shy and gentle animals. However, if they were irritated or prevented from protecting their young, they could become dangerous like other cattle.

The aim of the project is to use a test herd of bison to investigate whether the bison, which was wiped out in the Middle Ages, is now acceptable as a wild animal in the Jura. The trial will last five years.