Bison are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Bison used to be widespread almost all over the territory of our country, but today they are endangered and listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
There are 169 individuals of these majestic animals in the Lviv region. Of these, 42 live in the Maidansky forestry of the Skole Beskydy National Park.
The European bison is the largest and strongest land animal in Europe. The size of the bison is impressive, with a height at the withers of about 180 cm and a weight of 400 to 900 kilograms.
Bison need a lot of food – the animal can eat up to 32 kilograms of food per day. This need is especially important during the cold season, as it is extremely difficult to find natural food in snowy and frosty winters, which can lead to exhaustion and increased mortality.
Without the necessary nutrition, animals are more likely to come down from the mountains in search of food and come into contact with people. To avoid such situations, it is necessary to prepare enough fodder to feed the animals and create fodder fields.
“Feeding bison is very important for maintaining the animals’ physical condition during difficult weather conditions, as it helps them to successfully survive the winter, produce a healthy generation and reduce the negative impact of bison activity on the local population.
For the past 15 years, we have been annually allocating funds from the regional environmental fund to purchase feed and improve feeding areas, which helps to preserve bison as a species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
This year, UAH 100 thousand was allocated for the purchase of fodder for the bison living in the Skole Beskydy National Park. These funds will be used to harvest 5 tonnes of corn, 5 tonnes of beetroot and 3 tonnes of wheat,” said Oksana Viytyk, Acting Director of the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Lviv Regional State Administration.