A brother who was on the verge of disappearing from the face of the earth, if some passionate people, such as those from the Bison Land, had not fought for the bison to once again become the pride of the Moldavian forests. Now, to see a real, one-ton bison, you have to look for it in the natural park, helped by a ranger, or, more easily, observe it when it comes to eat in certain designated places. The bison safari can be done with an all-terrain vehicle or on foot, observing specimens in the wild or semi-free.
The shortest route takes 2 hours and the difficulty is medium. Of course, in addition to encounters with bison, visitors can also see other animals from the rich fauna of the natural park.
The Vânători-Neamţ Natural Park is the first location in Romania where the bison was reintroduced, more than two centuries after its disappearance from the wild.
To reduce the adaptation period and accustom the animals to the conditions in the wild, before being released, they were kept in an acclimatization fence located near the Visitor Center.
It is impressive not only because of its surface of 180 hectares, but especially because of the multitude of habitats encountered. The pure deciduous, resinous or mixed forests, some of them with trees older than 200 years, are interrupted in places by meadows or stream beds. The different slopes and exposures contribute greatly to the patchwork appearance, conducive to the bison’s habituation to free-range conditions. For fifteen years, there have been no human interventions in the area of the pen, nature being left to take its natural course.
The presence of bison in this location represents a unique opportunity for those who want to get to know Europe’s largest terrestrial mammal, at its “home”. At the Visitor Center you will receive the necessary information to prepare you for the unknown world of bison. Accompanied by a Park ranger, equipped with field equipment, you will set off on foot on the adventure of finding them in the acclimatization fence.
Most of the route overlaps with the paths used by the bison in search of food, so you will be able to see the tracks left by this animal and, based on the explanations received, you will understand why the bison is an “architect” of the landscapes. There are no less than 10 points of interest along the route where the accompanying ranger will provide you with additional information about the fauna and flora of the place and the interdependence between them and the bison.
