Hello folks , just returned from a short photo trip from the Netherlands .
I visited a Nationalpark called " De Kemmenerduinen" at the coast close to Zandvoort .
The area is under protection because of the dune system that is located there , in the Nationalpark there is a fenced off area with a herd of European Bison .
The project started in 2007 to protect and rewild the Bison , since 2012 it is open for the public and the visitors can hike on one trail that covers one corner of the area . So if you are lucky you get the chance to see and photograph the European Bison , if they are close to the trail . Not allowed to go off track !!!!
One could argue these Bisons are not wild ... as they are fenced ? Well they are left alone ..... almost . The project manages the numbers of animals that live in the " Kraansvlak " .... as they are doing quite well .
I was there 4 days and i saw them twice very close ....one day i saw none , and the other day i saw 3 individuals from something like 300 m .
So i think i can post them as wild animals and not as captive .... what do you think ?
If you like to learn more about the project and the area just have a look here ... :https://www.wisenten.nl/en
This small group was approaching one early morning .....
Canon EOS 1Dx II
Ef 200-400 IS L with TC engaged
HH
F 5,6 ; Iso 10000 ; 1/2000 sec
Processed with DPP 4.5 and PS CC ; cropped for comp from RHS and Top .
Thanks for watching and commenting to my previous thread .
Hi Andreas - First to answer the question of captive or wild, we usually look at how big the fenced area is, how much interference from man (e.g. are they fed by man), is it an area where they would have naturally occurred prior to being reintroduced, are they exposed to their natural predators, etc. It's hard to tell from the information provided on the website. Thanks for providing the link. The project is certainly interesting.
As to the image, I really like the soft and wispy feel to this image. In an ideal world the 4th bison would also be looking toward you with raised head. I don't know if it was possible to shift the camera to the right and avoid that one in the field. Nice control of the blacks.
Hi Andreas -- thank you for sharing the information and I feel it must have been quite challenging to get very good images of these bisons and i am not sure on their wild instincts so cant comment whether they are captive or wild . As far as the image is concerned it has a very nice feel with those tall grasses in the BG acting as nice contrast element to help them standout . Again nice quality for an iso 10000 image. I liked this one .
Thanks Rachel and Haseeb for your kind comments , much appreciated .
Regarding the question of being wild or not wild ... they do roam free in that area , do not become fed by humans ,but there are no predators in that area . We humans have to manage by relocating the animals that are no longer wanted in that reserve , it is the same in some smaller nature reserve in SA .
The reserve is big enough to feed a herd of up to 25 individuals without having fear of overgrazing .
Hope this helps for better understanding .
I like the image very much, the colours look great. I like the way you have handled the high ISO, the image looks clean and the noise subdued yet it is just apparent in a complimentary way.
I suppose endless debates are possible over the definition of wild, but from a photographic point of view they were not tame by any stretch of the imagination.
Thanks Jon and Steve, much appreciated.
I do think too that it would have been better to have the Bison on LHS looking up ....but he did not .
I have frames with him looking up ....but the others kept on moving and were having the heads down ....so none of the frames has been ideal with all four heads up .
Thanks Andreas
European Bison
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