"It's like being in Jurassic Park," whispered Adrian Grancea. With binoculars around his neck, he advanced as silently as possible over the carpet of dead leaves. The path wound between an electric fence and a wooden barrier. Suddenly, two deer appeared, like two bouncing balls tossed between the beech and birch trees. The bison only came into view a little further on. Their tails, wagging incessantly, make it easy to spot them. Seven females, with their scorched earth-colored coats, arched horns and long goatees, were enjoying the sunshine. Three males showed off massive silhouettes between the trees. "I'm very happy with this group: The bison aren't fighting and they've already mingled," said Grancea enthusiastically.

A few days earlier, in late May, the head of the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) bison project in Romania welcomed these animals some 15 kilometers from Armenis, in the southwest of the country. First came 10 younglings from a reserve in Germany, then four came from Sweden. Almost every year since 2014, bison have been transported to the Tarcu mountains in the southern Carpathians. After hours of travel, a truck arrives in this green, hilly region, dotted with villages of low, colorful houses. Before long, the road plunges into a valley overhung by huge trees.

In front of the entrance to the "acclimatization zone," a vast 13-hectare enclosed area in the middle of the woods, the track widens just enough for the truck to make a U-turn. Its gates open and the bison bolt, crossing a bridge and climbing a small hill. The entire operation can take two hours, or 10. On arrival, the herd from Germany headed back down the hill to pick up a female stuck inside the vehicle.

In mid-July, the gates of the acclimatization zone opened and the 14 bison joined their new playground: An expansive wilderness of over 160,000 hectares, where one of Europe's last virgin forests remains. Armenis, population 2,230, lies between four national parks and a nature park. This is where some 180 bison currently live.

From 'vulnerable' to 'near threatened'

The reintroduction of the continent's largest land mammal is one of wildlife conservation's success stories. It is the story of a charismatic animal rescued from prehistoric times, driven to extinction, and only narrowly saved thanks to the determined efforts of a few visionary Europeans. One hundred years ago, the Bison bonasus – which is different from the American bison – was declared extinct in the wild. With its elongated head and shoulder-level hump, there were 54 individuals left on the planet, all in captivity. Only 12 of these produced offspring. Today, there are over 9,100 bison in Europe, of which almost 7,000 live in the wild in 10 countries, including Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Russia and Romania.

You have 85% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.