Herd of water buffalo released on Ermakov Island in Ukrainian part of Danube Delta (PHOTOS)

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Photo by Rewilding Ukraine

Rewilding Europe successfully released a herd of water buffalo on Ermakov Island in the Danube Biosphere Reserve (Odesa Oblast), in order to improve the state of floodplain ecosystems.

According to the Rewilding Ukraine environmental organization, the first herd was released on the island this week.

Photo by Rewilding Ukraine

Water buffalo lived in the Danube Delta about half a century ago, and now representatives of this species have been introduced to help preserve the island’s mosaic landscapes and biodiversity.

Photo by Rewilding Ukraine

It is noted water buffaloes are “one of nature’s great engineers”. In particular, As large bovines they open up the scrub and reedbeds, creating pools and puddles which are home to many insects, amphibians and fish. Buffaloes are also unrivalled seed distributors.

Photo by Rewilding Ukraine

The transportation to the island in the Odesa Oblast the herd of seven animals is the first part out of a series of similar events. In the next few weeks, an additional 10 water buffaloes from Transcarpathia and 15 wild horses of Konik breed, arriving in the Danube region from Latvia, are scheduled to being released on Ermakov Island.

Photo by Rewilding Ukraine

As The Journalist reported, a rare species of whales were spotted off the US east coast.

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