Nearly two dozen bison die on a reservation in Romania due to epidemic

Roughly 21 bison have died in Romania in the Țarcu Mountains, Caraș-Severin county, in the last 40 days due to an epidemic. According to media reports, local authorities say that the situation becomes critical if the mortality rate exceeds 10–15%.

The deaths prompted an investigation by the Caraș-Severin Sanitary-Veterinary Directorate, which found dangerous bacteria, including Clostridium perfringens, which can cause food poisoning, severe infections, and even death in animals, as well as streptococci, Biziday.ro reported.

The last death was recorded last week, on Friday, September 19.

The prefect of Caraș-Severin, Ioan Dragomir, admitted that the death of the 21 bison is a problem, but “the situation becomes critical only if the mortality rate exceeds 10–15% of the total population.” There are currently about 300 bison in the reservation, according to Biziday.ro.

The local official added that the animals died due to a massive parasitic infestation, involving several types of larvae, rather than poisoning, as initially believed. The bodies of the deceased bison were incinerated to protect other animals in the area.

Bison are the largest species of herbivorous mammals in Europe. They disappeared from Romania for 150 years due to excessive hunting and habitat destruction, but have benefited from a reintroduction program in recent decades. Specimens were brought from Poland, and the population has grown continuously since then.

At present, more than 4,000 bison reportedly live in Romania’s mountains, both in reserves and outside them.

(Photo source: Ionel Bogdan on Facebook)