(1) Bison bonasus, the European bison or wisent , has been restricted to mainland Europe throughout its history.(2) However, hunting eradicated most populations, and the current range of the wisent is very restricted.(3) Following the war it was estimated than only sixty purebred wisents existed in the entire world.(4) All five wisents stayed for several months in the enclosure before being released into the National Park.(5) As a result of this breeding program, there are now over two thousand wisents in the world.
