Originally posted by gaweidert Are they as ill tempered as the bison in North America? Any places in Europe where they still run wild?
Here is a shot I took last week in the Bialowieski National Park in Poland. The largest population of European Bison (bos bonasus) in the wild is living there.
An exciting meeting, for sure.
Usually they are not very aggressive, but they are fast and strong ... my friend and I were with an experienced guide, so we felt somewhat safe.
In the 1920's the European Bison was nearly extinct. The last free animal was shot 1927 and only 12 animals existed in Zoos and game parks.
Today several thousand are living in several European countries again (but all originating from these 12 animals - the limited genetic diversity is an issues).
I rode on my motorbike to Poland and the longest lens I had with me was the A* 2.8/200. For this shot I used it on the K1 with a 1.5 TC. The picture is cropped to about 2/3 of the original frame.