Fota Wildlife Park today announced the birth of a female baby European bison, (Bison bonasus), who was born on January 4 to mother Erika and father Hyssop. 17-year-old Erika is one of the founding members of the Fota herd, she originally came from the Skansen Foundation Zoo in Stockholm and this new calf is her 13th birth. The European bison, also known as the ‘wisent’ is a distinctive looking animal with a thickset body, short neck and a visible hump at the shoulder. Classified Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the European bison is the largest land-mammal species in Europe. Production company Red Pepper filmed this for Virgin Media Television as part of a four-part documentary series about Fota Wildlife Park which is coming soon to Virgin Media One.

Source: Irish Examiner February 21, 2019 13:41 UTC