Rewilding

Pertinax said:
I have seen comments elsewhere(not this site) querying why our own British White Park cattle shouldn't fit the bill as well, or even better, for this task, given they are native to Britain. Is it just because they are too numerically low, or (in the case of the Chillingham breed at least, too wild and unmanageable? Or some other reasons?
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The tauros, as they are called, are specifically bred to resemble the aurochs - not just in looks, but also ecologically and behaviourally - as much as possible. One big factor is that they are extremely self-reliant and human management can be limited to keeping their numbers in check. The project is supposed to be a Europe-wide endeavor, and the goal is to have something as close to actual wild cattle as possible present throughout the continent. Bred specifically to live in the wild, they are particularly useful in rewilding projects.

There is, of course, an argument to make that more diversity is better, so using breeds that are either native to a particular region or specifically well-suited for it, might be better than betting on a single type to live across the whole of Europe. I think this is the general ethos when it comes to rewilding with horses - Retuerta for the Mediterranean, Exmoor or Dartmoor ponies for the Atlantic region, Koniks for Central Europe and perhaps Takhi for the eastern steppes. I will not claim to have the wisdom to know which strategy is better.

In the Netherlands, both for cattle and horses several breeds are used, based on both ecological and societal factors. For example, tauros are temperamental, and small areas therefore often favour the more gentle highland cattle - a choice not without ecological consequences, by the way.
 
Interesting is that release of freely grazing horses and cattle in Europe has been going on for several decades now, but there is really little concrete information over differences and (dis)advantages of different breeds.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Several charities - including Eagle Reintroduction Wales, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Gwent Wildlife Trust - have joined forces on a new project to explore the feasibility of reintroducing the white-tailed eagle to Wales and the Severn Estuary.

WWT joins efforts to reintroduce white-tailed eagles to Wales
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The charity Eagle Reintroduction Wales have also been carrying out feasibility studies on the reintroduction of the golden eagles to Wales, and is now in the consultation stage. The plan is to use young eagles taken from nests in Scandinavia.

There may also be plans to reintroduce the golden eagle to England, although it seems the main aim now is to attract eagles reintroduced to the south of Scotland to cross the border naturally into northern England.

More information can be found in this link:
Plans to restore Golden Eagle to England and Wales - BirdGuides
 
In 2023, some Harvest Mice have been reintroduced in the Eure-et-Loir département in Central France ; this species was nearly extinct in this intensively farmed part of France.
ZooParc Vallée de la Sûre on Instagram: "Tout récemment, nous avons accueilli un groupe de rats des moissons en provenance de la La Citadelle de Besançon. Il s'agit de la plus petite espèce de rongeur en Europe. Le rat des moissons a la particularité d'avoir une queue préhensile pour l'aider notamment à grimper plus facilement. En 2023, Il a fait l'objet de réintroductions dans le département d'Eure-et-Loir en France où il avait quasiment disparu. L'accueil de cette espèce au ZooParc s'inscrit dans une volonté de vous faire découvrir la richesse de notre faune locale. ℹ Abonnez vous au ZooParc Vallée de la Sûre en achetant votre carte de membre valable un an de date à date pour visiter notre parc animalier en illimité en cours de saison ➡️ https://www.zooparc.be/cartedemembre.FB.htm "
 
Saudi Arabia has reintroduced the Asian wild ass, with a herd of seven moved across from Jordan in April 2024. Since then, one of the females has successfully foaled. The species last lived in the country in the early 1900s.

Because the native subspecies, the Syrian wild ass, is now extinct, it was decided to instead use its nearest living relative, the Persian onager.

In the near future, another stallion and two mares will be added to the herd to increase genetic variation, but in the longer term it is intended to have a larger and more viable population roaming across an area of around 20,000 square kilometres.

More information can be found in the link below:
Asiatic wild asses return to Saudi Arabia after 100 years
 
Over 100 European Pond Turtles have been reintroduced in Hesse Land (Germany) in 2024.
Tiergarten Nürnberg on Instagram: "Rekordjahr für die Europäische Sumpfschildkröte in Hessen Das Artenschutzprojekt Sumpfschildkröte Hessen, das auch wir als Tiergarten unterstützen, hat 2024 gleich mehrere Meilensteine erreicht: ✔️Erstmals wurden in einer Saison mehr als 100 Tiere in die Natur entlassen. ✔️Im Natura 2000-Gebiet "Kühkopf-Knoblochsaue" wurde die 800. Schildkröte ausgewildert und ✔️im selben Gebiet konnte 2024 erstmals frisch geschlüpfter Nachwuchs nachgewiesen werden. Die Hoffnungen sind also groß, dass sich die Population bald selbst tragen kann und weitere Auswilderungen in wenigen Jahren hier nicht mehr erforderlich sind. Das Artenschutzprogramm feierte 2024 sein 25-jähriges Bestehen. Seit dem Start wurden an mehr als zehn Standorten in Hessen junge Sumpfschildköten ausgewildert. Bis 2030 sollen es insgesamt 1.200 Exemplare sein. Auch wir konnten in den letzten Jahren erfolgreich Schlüpflinge aufziehen und auswildern. Das Nachzuchtprogramm erfolgt unter der Regie des Zoo Frankfurt, beteiligt sind auch der Opel-Zoo in Kronberg, der Zoo Augsburg und wir als Tiergarten. Koordiniert wird es ehrenamtlich von der AG Sumpfschildkröte. Bis ihr die Sumpfschildkröten wieder in unserem Mediterraneum sehen könnt, müsst ihr euch allerdings noch etwas gedulden: Bis etwa März sind sie noch in Winterruhe. @mein_tiergarten #tiergarten #tiergartennürnberg #artenschutz #artenvielfalt #artenvielfalterhalten #sumpfschildkröte #auswilderung #nürnberg"
 
Regarding the cheetah reintroduction to India, I personally do have some concerns about how the cheetahs will interact with populations of other already endangered carnivores in India (particularly dholes and Indian wolves). More competition could negatively affect populations of more endangered species.
 
The_Leopard_Seal said:
Regarding the cheetah reintroduction to India, I personally do have some concerns about how the cheetahs will interact with populations of other already endangered carnivores in India (particularly dholes and Indian wolves). More competition could negatively affect populations of more endangered species.
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These animals all largely hunt different types of prey. There will be some competition but not to a huge degree, niche partitioning will happen.
 
birdsandbats said:
These animals all largely hunt different types of prey. There will be some competition but not to a huge degree, niche partitioning will happen.
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The thing is cheetahs hunt small to medium sized prey like a rabbits, roe deer, gazelles, birds, deer calf, … I guess the wolves and dholes, but also leopards will feel the competition for food the most with the cheetah around.
 
4 Bonelli's Eagles have just been reintroduced in Sardinia.
This species is currently listed as locally extinct on this island.
Rewilding Europe on Instagram: " Bonelli’s eagles are soaring over Sardinia once again! With support from the European Wildlife Comeback Fund, four of these iconic birds have just been released in Tepilora Natural Park, marking another step towards re-establishing a breeding population on the island. Once locally extinct, the species is making a comeback thanks to dedicated reintroduction efforts led by @GREFAwildlife, with releases overseen by ISPRA (the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) under the EU-funded LIFE Abilas initiative. Through the European Wildlife Comeback Fund we supported this effort by covering key costs such as captive breeding, transport, and post-release monitoring. By providing flexible funding, the fund is helping scale up wildlife recovery across Europe. The grant also supported the release of four birds in 2024. "Rewilding focuses on restoring natural processes, not just on the land, but also in the skies," explains Sophie Monsarrat, Rewilding Europe's Rewilding Manager. "As one of the island's few large raptors, the Bonelli's eagles on Sardinia will play a vital role in the island's food web and circle of life." Learn more about this #WildlifeComeback LINK IN BIO GREFA (1,2,3) | @StaffanWidstrand (4)"
 
Have any of the proposed rewilding programs for Dalmatian pelicans (Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Spain) ever progressed into more tangible results than just discussions?
 
 
A young Eurasian Lynx born in 2024 has recently left the Tierpark Bern in Switzerland to a rewilding project in Germany.
Tierpark Bern on Instagram: "✨ Machs guet, junger Pinselohr! Heute war ein besonderer Tag im Tierpark Bern: Unser Jungluchs, geboren im Mai 2024, hat den Tierpark verlassen und ist gemeinsam mit einem Jungluchs aus dem @Stiftung Wildnispark Zürich nach Deutschland gereist – nicht in einen Zoo, sondern in die freie Wildbahn! Im Rahmen des Auswilderungsprojekts „Linking Lynx“ soll unser Jungluchs in Deutschland ausgewildert werden. Dieses wissenschaftlich begleitete Projekt setzt auf genetisch reine Karpatenluchse, um die Vielfalt der Wildpopulation zu stärken. Hier spielen Zoos eine entscheidende Rolle: Jungtiere aus dem Erhaltungszuchtprogramm (EEP) bringen wertvolle neue Gene in die Natur. Bevor es so weit ist, musste unser Jungluchs einige Herausforderungen meistern: ✔️ Verhaltenstests in der Luchsanlage des Tierparks & kurz vor der Auswilderung ✔️ Medizinische Checks: Impfungen, Bluttests & Herzuntersuchung ✔️ Dokumentation auf einer „Health Checklist“ Jetzt leben „Victor“ – so wurde er von unserem Reviertierpfleger getauft – und das Weibchen aus Langenberg in einer grossen, naturbelassenen Waldanlage in Deutschland. Dort werden sie noch scheuer und bereiten sich auf ihr Leben in der Wildnis vor. Wenn Victor den letzten Test besteht, wird er im Sommer mit einem Sender-Halsband in einem der drei Auswilderungsgebiete freigelassen. Vielleicht sogar gemeinsam mit seiner Reisegefährtin? Das wird sich noch zeigen! Wir wünschen Victor viel Erfolg in seinem neuen Abenteuer! #LinkingLynx #Luchs #Auswilderung #TierparkBern #Dählhölzli #Bern #Zoo #Tierpark #MehrRaumFürVielfalt"
 
Jana said:
Have any of the proposed rewilding programs for Dalmatian pelicans (Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Spain) ever progressed into more tangible results than just discussions?
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I have just noticed that the website for Restore Nature, a UK-based rewilding company, says that there was a plan to import Dalmatian pelicans to the UK in 2023 as the beginning of a 20-year plan to return the species to the wild. I haven't heard anything to suggest that this import actually happened though (I guess avian flu may have had a part in that). It is mentioned on this page, under the subheading 'Pelican possibility'.
 
4 Griffon Vultures have left the Parc zoologique de Paris and La Haute-touche to be reintroduced in Bulgaria, where the species is severely depleted.
Parc zoologique de Paris on Instagram: " Quatre vautours fauves ont quitté la France pour être réintroduits en Bulgarie ! Le 30 janvier dernier, quatre vautours fauves (Gyps fulvus) nés au Parc zoologique de Paris (@zoodeparis) et à la Réserve zoologique de de la Haute-Touche (@reservehautetouche) sont partis pour la Bulgarie dans un objectif de réintroduction au printemps prochain. Une opération qui concrétise l’un des nombreux projets de conservation entrepris par ces deux parc zoologiques du Muséum pour la protection des espèces menacées. Les quatre vautours (deux femelles et deux mâles âgés de 9 à 21 mois) ont été placés dans des caisses de transport et sont partis en camion pour la Bulgarie. Sur place, ils séjourneront pendant plusieurs mois dans des volières d’acclimatation, le temps de trouver une ou un partenaire venus de parcs européens et de centres de soin. L’objectif : créer des couples avant le relâché des vautours dans la nature au printemps. Ces vautours porteront d’ailleurs sur eux des balises GPS financées grâce aux parrainages du Parc zoologique de Paris ! Pesant moins de 70 g (soit moins de 0,7 % du poids d’un vautour), elles permettront de suivre quotidiennement et en temps réel la position géographique et l’altitude des vautours, permettant de s’assurer de la réussite du projet et d’améliorer nos connaissance sur ces rapaces pour optimiser les futurs programmes de conservation et de réintroduction. © MNHN - F.G. Grandin © MNHN - F. Dubos #vautour #MNHN #ZooDeParis #Wildlifeconservation #animal #news #protection #zoo #reservehautetouche"
 
Jana said:
Have any of the proposed rewilding programs for Dalmatian pelicans (Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Spain) ever progressed into more tangible results than just discussions?
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Just noticed today that the charity Rewilding Britain have offered a grant to a project called Pelicans to Norfolk (run by another charity called Keep it Wild), that is looking to reintroduce the Dalmatian pelican to the North Sea coast of Norfolk in coordination with scientists from the Netherlands.

The other two rewilding initiatives seeking to reintroduce animals, among the eleven given grants, are one intending to reintroduce the white stork to London and, more interestingly, one that intends to explore the feasibility of reintroducing moose to an area of restored fenland in Norfolk.

More information about all the grant receivers can be found in this link.
 
In Southern Brazil, flight lessons (close to the free-flight displays that one can see in many zoos and bird parks) are used by curators to learn the life in the wild to young released Macaws.
Such lessons increase the survival rate of the birds, and have already been replicated with success in Colombia with Amazon parrots.
In Brazil, free-flight lessons help teach macaws to survive in the wild
 
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