The Giants of Europe

 The Giants of Europe

The European bison is one of those animals many people don’t even realize still lives in Europe. Yet it’s the largest land mammal on the continent, a true giant that once roamed vast forests from Western Europe to the Caucasus.

A century ago, this species was on the brink of extinction. The last wild European bison was killed in 1927, and the only individuals left were a handful kept in captivity. From there, an extraordinary conservation effort began, with breeding programs, reintroductions, and decades of protection that slowly brought the species back.

Today, seeing a European bison in the wild feels like witnessing a fragment of ancient nature, powerful, quiet, and deeply symbolic. Their comeback is one of the greatest conservation successes in Europe, and a reminder of how nature can recover when we choose to protect it.

A true icon worth knowing, respecting, and preserving.