Spain hails birth of first European bison

Spain recently welcomed the birth of its first bison after a group of seven endangered European bisons were introduced in the country's north, local authorities said on Wednesday.

One of the five females in the group, which came from Poland, gave birth ten days ago but the baby's gender is still unknown, San Cebrian de Muda Mayor Jesus Gonzales told Spanish reporters.

He said the birth proved the capacity for adaptation amongst European bisons, which are different from American buffalos and are facing extinction in Europe.

The group had been released into semi-liberty in early June in the mountains in San Cebrian de Muda, near the Conservation Centre of European Bisons.

The seven bisons originate from the Bialowieza forest in east Poland and the Pszczyna forest in the south, the only two regions where they are considered wild.

Until the 11th century, their natural habitat was in the Spanish peninsula, close to northern Spain's Altamira basins, where they were depicted in cave paintings.

(c) 2010 AFP