Construction has begun on a network of 'bison bridges' in Kent, southeast England, which will give people aerial views of the country’s first wild bison herd in thousands of years.
Three bison were released into West Blean and Thornden Woods nature reserve in 2022. Their numbers have now doubled and biodiversity in the area is thriving.
Building work is under way on the four pedestrian bridges and Simon Bateman-Brown, from the Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT), said: “Once at the top, people will have a great vantage point to potentially catch a glimpse of the animals.”
“The Wilder Blean initiative is a ground-breaking proof of concept project laying out the blueprint for others to follow and we are leading the way to make it easier for other organisations to replicate,” he added.
West Blean and Thornden Woods, where the animals live as the UK's only free-roaming bison herd, has several public footpaths. The paths prevent the animals from having full access to the woodland, as legislation prevents them from sharing the same space as the public.
The bridges will allow the bison to roam 200 hectares (494 acres) of land, rather than 50 hectares (123 acres) as they do currently, without having to close footpaths to the public.
Work on the first two bridges will be complete by the end of this year.
Recent research showed that bison sequester vast quantities of carbon as their ‘eco-engineering’ creates new woodland habitats.