The mighty and majestic European bison is the relictual embodiment of the wildness of prehistoric Europe. Tragically, the millennia since that time have seen so many species driven to extinction by human impacts, and the European bison has only narrowly avoided the same fate. Today, the species represents the symbolic sentinel of successful conservation actions in a world in which such achievements remain few and far between. From an early stage in the restitution of the European bison, husband-and-wife team Małgorzata Krasińska and Zbigniew A. Krasiński have been participating in relevant management initiatives and researching all facets of the bison, from its morphology and diet, to its movements, social life and reproduction, and the conservation management actions that have been taken to save it. Now they have summarised this wealth of knowledge on the species, giving rise to a publication ideal for students, professional biologists and conservationists, but also for all nature enthusiasts. This new edition of the monograph offers extensively updated content taking into account research carried out on the European bison in the last few years. Also featured, a new chapter devoted to knowledge of the genetics of the species drawn up by Małgorzata Tokarska of the Białowieża-based Mammal Research Institute PAS.

Wildlife management is about finding the balance between conservation of endangered species and mitigating the impacts of overabundant wildlife on humans and the environment. This book deals with the monitoring of fauna, related diseases, and interactions with humans. It is intended to assist and support the professional worker in wildlife management.

This review of the European bison’s (Bison bonasus) status clearly indicates that, through proper management and conservation, its present numbers and distribution have improved significantly since its extinction in the wild at the beginning of the 20th century. The Action Plan briefly summarizes the history of extinction in the wild and present status of the European bison, as well as the reasons of extinction. The ecology of the species has been reviewed and threats, including recent diseases, are described. The Action Plan also puts forward future goals in conservation and management of European bison. These include recommendations for captive breeding and reintroduction to natural ecosystems, and the propagation of captive animals with known pedigrees for the preservation of the species and to maintain its genetic purity.

"This is the best book I've read about American bison and their habitat. It is vivid, concise, witty, erudite, first-hand, and up-to-date. Most important, it argues convincingly that the only way to assure survival of bison and their habitat in the wild is to establish a Great Plains National Park at least 5,000 square miles in extent."—David Rains Wallace, author of The Bonehunter's Revenge: Dinosaurs, Greed, and the Great Scientific Feud of the Gilded Age "Dr. Lott's scholarship is strong and thorough. American Bison presents an extensive, state-of-the-art review of key points of American bison that are unaddressed or under-addressed by previous books. Moreover, it does it in a popularized, often narrative form that makes the material comprehensible to the educated lay reader as well as to the bison scholar."—James H. Shaw, Department of Zoology, Oklahoma State University

The European bison, the largest herbivore in Europe, was once widely distributed throughout western, central and south-eastern Europe. But by the end of the 19th century there were only two populations left in the the wild, this drastic decline caused by competition for food from deer, cattle grazing in forests, wars and heavy poaching. By 1945 there were only 54 animals with proven pedigrees in zoos, descended from 12 ancestor animals (of which a mere two are dominant genetically). Moves to restore the wild population began in the 1920s, and the restitution has successfully maintained the breed's purity. In 2000, there were nearly 2900 bison registered by the European Bison Pedigree Book, existing in 191 enclosed and 31 free-roaming herds. Despite this success, there remain concerns over the loss of genetic variability - the inbreeding affects life span, viability of young animals, and the interval between calving and skeletal growth - and the presence of, and susceptibility to, several diseases, including foot-and-mouth and TB. Management of the habitat and local populations of bison is necessary to maintain the optimum bison habitat. It remains an endangered species, and its full recovery and re-naturalisation in the wild cannot be guaranteed.

Covering all thirteen species of wild cattle, Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour of Wild Cattle brings together the contributions of international leading experts on the biology, evolution, conservation status and management of the tribe Bovini, providing: • A comprehensive review of current knowledge on systematic, anatomy and ecology of all wild cattle species (chapters 1 to 8); • A clear understanding of the conservation status of each species and the gaps in our current knowledge (chapters 9 to 20); • A number of case studies on conservation activities and an investigation of some of the most threatened and poorly understood species (chapters 21 to 27). An invaluable resource for students, researchers, and professionals in behavioural ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology, this beautifully illustrated reference work reveals the extraordinary link between wild cattle and humans, the benefits some of these species have brought us, and their key roles in their natural ecosystems.

Sarcocystis is one of the most prevalent parasites of livestock and also infects many wild mammals, birds, and humans. Written by the authors who pioneered studies of Sarcocystosis of domestic animals, Sarcocystosis of Animals and Humans, Second Edition provides a current and comprehensive review of Sarcocystis and the infections it causes in anima