A rare good-news story of how an ancient species and the largest wild mammal in both Europe and North America—the bison—was almost eradicated and then brought back to life.

Celebrated conservationist, Derek Gow tells how the bison was hunted almost to extinction in Europe through the two World Wars but also how they also became part of Gōring’s attempt to resurrect ‘Germanic’ species. The mantel then fell to the Duke of Bedford, who fought to save them at Woburn Abbey, and Derek was given unique access to this historical archive. We see how the bison has been successfully reintroduced through Germany, Switzerland, Poland and recently Spain and Portugal. The story of the bison in North America is similarly one of almost-extinction, exploitation and reintroduction but the success of both species is still under threat. Nevertheless, this is a triumphant story of an iconic animal and crucial keystone species as well as international efforts to ensure it thrives.

About The Author

Derek Gow is a farmer, nature conservationist and the author of Bringing Back the Beaver, Hunt for the Shadow Wolf and Birds, Beasts and Bedlam. Born in Dundee, he left school when he was seventeen and worked in agriculture for five years. Inspired by the writing of Gerald Durrell, he jumped at the chance to manage a European wildlife park in central Scotland in the late 1990s before moving on to develop two nature centres in England. He now lives with his children, Maysie and Kyle, on a three-hundred-acre farm on the Devon–Cornwall border, which he is in the process of rewilding. Derek has played a significant role in the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver, the water vole and the white stork in England. He is currently working on a reintroduction project for the wildcat. Hunt for the Shadow Wolf was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing in 2024.