Bison-Rewilding-Plan-2014
Bison-Rewilding-Plan-2014 Bison-Rewilding-Plan-2014
Use of pulka totransport and loadbison in Swedenprotect the eyes from dust etc. During the wholeimmobilisation process, loud noises should beavoided as much as possible. The muzzle shouldalways be directed towards the ground to allowany ingesta to flow out of the mouth and avoidchoking. Individual pads may be placed around themetatarsal areas on each rear leg. Separate ropescan then be tied around each rear leg over the padsand secured to a solid object behind the animal (e.g.a pole or tree). The front legs can be tied togetherand similarly secured in front of the animal. Ifthere is nothing to secure them to, the rear legs canbe tied together to reduce the likelihood of injurydue to kicking.The duration of anaesthesia for bison shouldbe no more than 60 minutes due to the risk ofpressure necrosis. Animals should be observedclosely for evidence of bloat throughout all procedures.Once all necessary procedures have beencompleted, any restraining ropes should beremoved from the animal’s legs and non-essentialpersonnel should leave the area. The immobilisingdrug is then reversed with naltrexone or otherantagonist as appropriate. An animal should be lefton its own while awakening.Animals should be monitored for up to 48 hourspost-immobilisation for signs of renarcotisation. Thisoccurs when the immobilising drug is still present inan animal’s system while the reversal drug is beingcleared to a level where it is no longer effective. Ananimal may exhibit signs similar to those of narcoticinduction, including sedation, pacing, vocalizing,atraxia, head-pressing or even sternal recumbency.If the animal is being transported a long working(up to 10 days) sedative should be administered toreduce stress levels. The animals should be fullyrecovered and standing before the transport ationcan start.It is best to construct the bison infrastructureat the handling zone in such a way that animalscan be loaded into a trailer without tranquilisation.This can be achieved by constructingdivisions and a hallway in which the animals canbe gradually ‘forced’ forward on to the trailer. Theconstruction must be save (for handlers and bison),well constructed.If the bison need to be bison tranquilised a specialtransportation ‘blanket’ or pulka can be used.Use of forklifts and other mechanical equipmentshould be kept to a minimum and be used withgreat care to avoid risks of wounding the animal.56STAFFAN WIDSTRAND / REWILDING EUROPE
Veterinary care3.3Extra veterinary care might be needed during theacclimatisation period to help the survival rate ofthe bison and to ensure they are fit and healthyprior to release into the wild.Broadly speaking, the baseline knowledge ofmedical and husbandry information for domesticcattle applies to bison. This includes non-infectiousas well as infectious domestic and wildanimal diseases. Bison are known or are assumedto be susceptible to all domestic bovid diseases.These susceptibilities include:Black legNecrobacillisisRinderpestParatuberculosisLeptospirosisRift valley feverTuberculosisAnaplasmosisFoot and mouth diseaseBrucellosisVibriosisVesicular stomatitisHaemophilus somnusActinobadllosisMalignant catarrhal feverInfectious bovinerhinotracheitisActinomycosisPasteurellosisParainfluenzaSalmonellosisBlue tongueBovine viral diarrheaListeriosisAnthraxEnterotoxemiaContagious bovinepleuropneumoniaFrom a regulatory perspective, tuberculosis andbrucellosis are of primary importance. EU memberstates generally require tuberculosis and brucellosistests prior to entry, with most acceptingstandard tail-fold tests and serology. The requiredtests needs always to be checked with the veterinaryauthorities prior to transport. Time for bloodtestingneeds to be calculated in the planning. Ifthe animals have had the required test and testednegatively an export paper, the so-called Tracesdocument will be provided for travel within the EU.The animals selected for the re-introduction inthe rewilding projects will be intensively screenedfor all bovine diseases prior to transport, regardlessof origin. If the test is positive they will be excludedfrom the re-introduction. This will keep the risk ofa disease outbreak coming from the bison and alsoensures that diseases are not spread to domesticlivestock. However, there is still a risk that bisonwill be infected with diseases from domesticcattle, as has previously been observed (Flint et al.2002). Local domestic stock should therefore alsobe screened prior to bison release (ideally as partof the feasibility study) to assess the risk of diseasetransfer to bison and to take appropriate measuresif necessary. Any vaccinations of bison requiredwill only be done in consultation with the veterinaryofficer.Bison are susceptible to both internal andexternal parasites. Commercially available cattlewormers (injectable, oral, and topical) work wellin this species. However, at times when supplementaryfeeding has to be provided, cleanfeeding areas should prevent a heavy parasiteload and regular faecal analysis can determine ifCondition scoring ofbisonScore 1. Emaciated 2. Thin 3. Good 4. FatOutlineDepictionsNeck &SchouldersWithersLoin & BackTailhead &HipsRibs• Emaciated• Bone structure is easily visible• No fat• Emaciated• Bone structure is easily visible• No fat• Emaciated• Spinous processes are easilyindividually identifiable• Pelvic bones are veryprominant• Emaciated• Rib spacing appears wide anddepressed• Neck is thin• Decreased girth• Thin• Bone structure is evident• Spinous processes are notindividually identifiable, butspine is still prominant• Transverse processes faintlydiscernable• Pelvic bones at the point ofthe hip are rounded, but stillevident• Pelvic bones at rump may beslightly discernable• Neck is thick• Shoulders are flat• Withers have fat deposits• Decreasing visibility of bonestructure• Back is sloped to withers• Fat is present around tailhead• Pelvic bones appear flat• Neck is thick• Fat deposits evident• Shoulders slightly rounded• Fat deposits are evident• Fat deposits are present• Back appears flatter• Hips are rounded• Ribs still discernable • Ribs are not visible • Ribs are not visible• Fat deposits may be evident57
- Page 8 and 9: 6STAFFAN WIDSTRAND / REWILDING EURO
- Page 10 and 11: 1.2European landscapes: the opportu
- Page 12 and 13: 10STAFFAN WIDSTRAND / REWILDING EUR
- Page 14 and 15: RUUD MAASKANT / ARK NATURE2.2 Ecolo
- Page 16 and 17: winner secludes himself from the he
- Page 18 and 19: een well established (Benecke 1999)
- Page 20 and 21: 2.3Current conservation statusRecen
- Page 22 and 23: 2.4European bison conservation2.4.1
- Page 24: forest ecosystems started in Bialow
- Page 28 and 29: 26STAFFAN WIDSTRAND / REWILDING EUR
- Page 30 and 31: 3.2The reference:historic distribut
- Page 32 and 33: 3.3European bison as a keystoneand
- Page 35 and 36: STAFFAN WIDSTRAND / REWILDING EUROP
- Page 37 and 38: Human-bison conflict3.6Current-day
- Page 39 and 40: JOEP VAN DE VLASAKKERHowever, not a
- Page 41 and 42: in opposition to important resource
- Page 46 and 47: Objective Action Result7. Bison pro
- Page 48 and 49: ReferencesBalčiauskas L. 1999. Eur
- Page 50 and 51: 1. Planning the reintroduction andr
- Page 52 and 53: Electric wires forareas with highsn
- Page 54 and 55: use of young animals two to four ye
- Page 56 and 57: JOEP VAN DE VLASAKKERBison are best
- Page 60 and 61: de-worming is appropriate. As worme
- Page 62 and 63: 4. Bison released into populationsl
- Page 64 and 65: Attachment: European bison bodycond
- Page 66: European bison body condition index
Veterinary care3.3Extra veterinary care might be needed during theacclimatisation period to help the survival rate ofthe bison and to ensure they are fit and healthyprior to release into the wild.Broadly speaking, the baseline knowledge ofmedical and husbandry information for domesticcattle applies to bison. This includes non-infectiousas well as infectious domestic and wildanimal diseases. <strong>Bison</strong> are known or are assumedto be susceptible to all domestic bovid diseases.These susceptibilities include:Black legNecrobacillisisRinderpestParatuberculosisLeptospirosisRift valley feverTuberculosisAnaplasmosisFoot and mouth diseaseBrucellosisVibriosisVesicular stomatitisHaemophilus somnusActinobadllosisMalignant catarrhal feverInfectious bovinerhinotracheitisActinomycosisPasteurellosisParainfluenzaSalmonellosisBlue tongueBovine viral diarrheaListeriosisAnthraxEnterotoxemiaContagious bovinepleuropneumoniaFrom a regulatory perspective, tuberculosis andbrucellosis are of primary importance. EU memberstates generally require tuberculosis and brucellosistests prior to entry, with most acceptingstandard tail-fold tests and serology. The requiredtests needs always to be checked with the veterinaryauthorities prior to transport. Time for bloodtestingneeds to be calculated in the planning. Ifthe animals have had the required test and testednegatively an export paper, the so-called Tracesdocument will be provided for travel within the EU.The animals selected for the re-introduction inthe rewilding projects will be intensively screenedfor all bovine diseases prior to transport, regardlessof origin. If the test is positive they will be excludedfrom the re-introduction. This will keep the risk ofa disease outbreak coming from the bison and alsoensures that diseases are not spread to domesticlivestock. However, there is still a risk that bisonwill be infected with diseases from domesticcattle, as has previously been observed (Flint et al.2002). Local domestic stock should therefore alsobe screened prior to bison release (ideally as partof the feasibility study) to assess the risk of diseasetransfer to bison and to take appropriate measuresif necessary. Any vaccinations of bison requiredwill only be done in consultation with the veterinaryofficer.<strong>Bison</strong> are susceptible to both internal andexternal parasites. Commercially available cattlewormers (injectable, oral, and topical) work wellin this species. However, at times when supplementaryfeeding has to be provided, cleanfeeding areas should prevent a heavy parasiteload and regular faecal analysis can determine ifCondition scoring ofbisonScore 1. Emaciated 2. Thin 3. Good 4. FatOutlineDepictionsNeck &SchouldersWithersLoin & BackTailhead &HipsRibs• Emaciated• Bone structure is easily visible• No fat• Emaciated• Bone structure is easily visible• No fat• Emaciated• Spinous processes are easilyindividually identifiable• Pelvic bones are veryprominant• Emaciated• Rib spacing appears wide anddepressed• Neck is thin• Decreased girth• Thin• Bone structure is evident• Spinous processes are notindividually identifiable, butspine is still prominant• Transverse processes faintlydiscernable• Pelvic bones at the point ofthe hip are rounded, but stillevident• Pelvic bones at rump may beslightly discernable• Neck is thick• Shoulders are flat• Withers have fat deposits• Decreasing visibility of bonestructure• Back is sloped to withers• Fat is present around tailhead• Pelvic bones appear flat• Neck is thick• Fat deposits evident• Shoulders slightly rounded• Fat deposits are evident• Fat deposits are present• Back appears flatter• Hips are rounded• Ribs still discernable • Ribs are not visible • Ribs are not visible• Fat deposits may be evident57
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