SPECIES SPOTLIGHTS
European Bison (Bison bonasus)
Also known as the 'Wisent', this large bovid was once widespread throughout the old-growth forests and meadows which dominated much of Europe. The bison was declared extinct in the wild during the 1920s, but since then, tireless conservation work involving captive programmes in countries, notably Poland, has seen the wisent return to the wild. Today, Białowieża forest in Eastern Poland holds the largest single population of wild bison, with further programmes involving the reintroduction of Polish-bred bison in Bulgaria, Romania and the Czech Republic. As of a 2020 report, the IUCN states the current population at around 2,500 mature individuals.
Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
The largest extant reptile on Earth, the saltwater crocodile is a relic of a time long before mankind, present in a range of saline and freshwater ecosystems throughout Northern Australia, through Southeast Asia to India. Listed as least concern under the IUCN (2019), with a global population of 500,000, saltwater crocodile populations in Northern Australia are increasing, likely due to a surplus of prey as invasive feral goats, pigs and buffalo continue to wage an ecological crusade across the continent. Saltwater crocodiles are most often associated with mangroves and estuaries, but have been found using the open ocean to travel to remote islands and between river systems.