PREVIEW

Kent's West Blean and Thornden Woods' much-loved bison heard has two tiny new additions - two newly born female calves.

Officials at Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust, the two charities behind the Wilder Blean bison project, a ground-breaking award-winning conservation project in Canterbury, Kent announced the arrival of the adorable pair on 17 October 2024.

The new arrivals were conceived and born in West Blean and Thornden Woods and have increased the wild bison herd population in the project to eight. The founding herd of three females and a bull was released in 2022 with four calves born in the woodland since. Bison Ranger for Kent Wildlife Trust Hannah Mackins described the moment she realised one of the calves had been born. “To my absolute astonishment, one of the females came up behind the group and I saw underneath her she had a little calf."

As the team welcomed the new arrival, just four days later, they were met with more joyous news when a second calf was born. The herd has been placed in the woodland to boost biodiversity and make the area more resilient to climate change. Bison are known as eco-system engineers, helping other species to thrive through their natural behaviours. The herd now consists of eight members, four adults who were chosen from other projects and four calves that were born in the woodland.