In a First, British Bison Use Needles to Vax Themselves

A pair of young bison bulls in a UK sanctuary have been taught to self medicate, specifically by vaccinating themselves. The staff at Wildwood Trust in Kent say the animals have been trained to lean into needles, which is less stressful than the typical procedure: shooting darts into them.

“We've trained them to lean into their own injection syringe so they've got control over that movement and that procedure, which will hopefully make things much smoother for them,” animal behavior specialist Becky Copland tells BBC News.

It took a few months of training – reinforcing calm behavior, establishing positive associations with the trainers, and eventually, getting the big mammals to stroll over to a fence and lean into the vaxxing needle.

“Darting can be quite stressful and not the most pleasant process so it's something we had wanted to move away from,” says Copland. Wildwood is so pleased with the results they plan to try it with other animals in the park, including elk and wolves. (How about humans?)

Wildwood is a native-species conservation charity established in 2002 “to push the boundaries of innovative conservation and rewilding,” according to their website. Technically, these European bison are not native to the UK (that would be the extinct Steppe Bison), but Wildwood says the species “are now our best chance at recreating those grazing behaviors that once existed.” 

Photo credit: Harding-Lee Media / Wildwood Trust