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Wisent
A wisent (?ubr) In 1996 the IUCN classified the wisent as an endangered species. In the past it was commonly killed to produce hides and drinking horns, especially during the Middle Ages.
Near-extinctionAbout 2000 years ago, wisent lived throughout most of Europe - from Britain in the west, to Siberia in the east, and from Spain in the south, to Sweden in the north. Wisent lived not only in forests but also roamed grasslands. In Western Europe, wisent became extinct by the 11th century, except in the Ardennes, where they lasted into the 14th century. The last wisent in Transylvania died in 1790. In the east, wisent were legally the property of the Polish kings, Lithuanian grand dukes and Russian czars. King Sigismund I of Poland instituted the death penalty for poaching a wisent in the mid-16th century. Despite these measures, and others, the wisent population continued to decline over the following four centuries. The last wild wisent in Poland was killed in 1919 and the last wild wisent in the world was killed by poachers in 1927 in the Western Caucasus. By that year fewer than 50 remained, all in zoos. In order to help manage this captive population, Dr. Heinzel Heck commenced the first studbook for a non-domestic species; first as a card index from 1923 with a full publication in 1932.[1] ReintroductionWisent were reintroduced successfully into the wild, beginning in 1951. They are found living free-ranging in forest preserves like Western Caucasus and Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve in Russia and Bia?owie?a Forest in Poland and Belarus. Free-ranging herds are found in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan and since 2006 in Moldova. There are plans to re-introduce two herds in northern Germany . Zoos in 30 countries also have quite a few animals. There were 3,000 individuals (as of 2000), all descended from only 12 individuals. Because of their limited genetic pool, they are considered highly vulnerable to diseases like foot and mouth disease. More details
Wisent in a zoo Wisent can cross-breed with American bison. The products of a German interbreeding program were destroyed after World War II. This program was related to the impulse which created the Heck cattle. The cross-bred individuals created at other zoos were eliminated from breed books by the 1950s. A Russian back-breeding program resulted in a wild herd of hybrid animals which presently lives in the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve (550 individuals in 1999). 
A juvenile wisent at the Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve near Moscow. Three sub-species have been identified:
The modern herds are managed as two separate lines - one consisting of only Bison bonasus bonasus (all descended from only seven animals) and one consisting of all 12 ancestors including the one Bison bonasus caucasicus bull. Only a limited amount of inbreeding depression from the population bottleneck has been found, having a small effect on skeletal growth in cows and a small rise in calf mortality. Genetic variability continues to shrink. From five initial bulls, all current wisent bulls have one of only two remaining Y chromosomes. 
20,000 year old Venus of Laussel figurine holding what may be a wisent horn. See also
ReferencesCited sourcesGeneral sources
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be-x-old:????? bg:????? da:Europćisk bison de:Wisent es:Bison bonasus eo:E?ropa bizono fr:Bison d'Europe ko:???? id:Bison Eropa ia:Bisonte europee it:Bison bonasus he:????? ?????? ka:????? lt:Stumbras hu:Európai bölény ja:????????? no:Visent nn:Visent pt:Bisonte-europeu ro:Zimbru ru:???? sk:Zubor lesný fi:Visentti zh:???? Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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