Ireland: Celebrating New Bison Calves at Fota

American Plains Bison in Tayto Park Ireland

Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland

May 2025 – Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland is also thrilled to welcome two female European bison calves (Bison bonasus), born just a week apart on 15 and 21 April. The calves were both fathered by the bull Bomer who came from Borås Djurpark in Sweden in February 2024. These are his first two offspring. The calves are already best friends, who can be seen playing, snoozing, and soaking up the sunshine together. Their mums are both healthy and very protective.

The European bison, the largest mammal in Europe, was once extinct in the wild; however, collaborative efforts by many zoos and wildlife parks, including Fota Wildlife Park, which contributed members from its own herd, have helped reintroduce the species to the wild in parts of Europe and, more recently, the UK.

Fota Wildlife Park, in cooperation with other European zoos and wildlife parks has been reintroducing bison into the wild since around 2007 to mountainous regions in Europe, including Poland and Romania.

Fota Wildlife Park has a new resident! 2020

The park today announced the birth of a baby European bison, born on October 25.
The five-and-a-half-week-old female was born to mother Blue and father Hyssop.
The European bison, also known as the ‘wisent’ is a distinctive looking animal with a thickset body, short neck and a visible hump at the shoulder. They have a dark brown mane under the neck and forehead and a big bull can weigh up to 1,000 kilos and reach a height of six feet.

Classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the European bison (Bison bonasus) is the continent’s largest land mammal. Lead Ranger Aidan Rafferty said the workers at the park are “delighted” with the announcement.

“Once extinct in the wild, recently the species had a population regrowth in Eastern Europe,” he said.
“It brings meaning to everything we do here to be a part of this long-term conservation plan that has seen the European bison re-established in the wild from captive-born animals from zoological organizations.

Baby at Fota Ireland — Pictures: Darragh Kane Oct 2020

“It brings to life, literally, exactly what zoos and wildlife parks are all about.”

Fota Wildlife Park is open daily from 10.00 am – booking online only at [url=https://www.fotawildlife.ie/]www.fotawildlife.ie[/url].

European Bison born in the Cork Reintroduced to the Wild in Romania

(April 28th 2014)

European Bison leaving Fota Wildlife park for the wilds of Romania

Tayto Park (http://www.taytopark.ie/zoo/buffalo/) (new page coming)
The zoo has an impressive collection which includes an Amur tiger, an aardwolf, American bison and meerkats. Younger kids will love being able to pet the African pygmy goats, and adults can take pictures with the snowy owl. Expect to be bowled over by the cuteness of the tiny corsac foxes, who love nothing more than to come over and say hello.

Ireland American Bison Bull — American Bison in Tayto Park