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UK's first roaming bison calf part of Wilder Blean Project in Canterbury caught on camera

Pictures of Britain's first free-roaming bison calf, born to a new herd re-introduced to woods in Kent, have been released.

Ranger Donovan Wright, who has been watching over the animals since they were released last year, took the adorable photos on Saturday in West Blean and Thornden Woods, between Canterbury and Herne Bay.

Videos taken by the bison ranger capture the herd eating, wandering in the Kent woodland as well as the youngster bouncing around.

The £1.1m Wilder Blean project - led by the Wildwood Trust and Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) - is expected to give the district a major cash injection by boosting tourist numbers.

The herd was completed in December when the bull arrived from Germany, following delays due to Brexit paperwork complications.

Director of zoological operation for Wildwood Trust, Mark Habben says it’s been a privilege to see the calf develop over the past six months.

"These incredible pictures show how her horns are coming through and her once light brown baby fur is being replaced by a thick, coarse coat," he says.

The bison herd lives in West Blean and Thornden Woods between Canterbury and Herne Bay. Picture: Donovan Wright
The bison herd lives in West Blean and Thornden Woods between Canterbury and Herne Bay. Picture: Donovan Wright

"When we see her carving out her place within the herd, we’re reminded of just how far the project has come.

"This time last year, there were no bison in the wild in the UK and we were facing Brexit-induced hurdles at every turn.

"Today, our global carbon footprint is still an unsolved problem, but the scattered footprints of this six-month-old calf remind us of the potential for change that projects like ours seek to encourage."

As the bison calf grows, she will begin de-barking trees, over time creating standing deadwood which becomes home to invertebrates, attracting birds and bats to the area. Her new thick coat will also hold seeds as she wanders through the forest and helps disperse them as she rubs on trees and dust-bathes, creating micro-habitats in the woodland.

The first phase of the Wilder Blean Project is set to be completed soon when other conservation grazing animals will be released into the woodland.

The calf was born in September. Picture: Donovan Wright
The calf was born in September. Picture: Donovan Wright
Donovan Wright caught the bison calf on camera. Picture: Donovan Wright
Donovan Wright caught the bison calf on camera. Picture: Donovan Wright

The Exmoor ponies, Iron-Age pigs and Long-horn cattle will also bring their own unique grazing behaviours to the forest which will help to shape the woodland creating light and space for other wildlife to thrive.

Wilder Blean project manager Stan Smith of Kent Wildlife Trust says: "We are delighted the herd is doing so well, whilst the calf was a surprise addition to the project, we couldn’t be happier or asked for more in how the whole herd has bonded.

"They have already begun shaping the landscape around them and we are seeing bison corridors opening in the woodland and areas that were once in darkness bathed in light.

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