Wisentgehege Springe, Wildlife park in Springe, Germany.
Wisentgehege Springe is a wildlife park near the town of Springe featuring open enclosures where European bison, wolves, and other Central European animals live. Visitors walk through different zones where Przewalski's horses, lynx, and other species roam in spacious habitats designed to resemble their natural homes.
The park was established in 1928 with the main goal of saving the European bison from extinction, as this species had nearly disappeared from the wild. Since then, it has played a key role in breeding programs that helped restore populations of this and other endangered species.
The park's name comes from the European bison, called Wisent in German, and its breeding line carries the prefix Sp in the animals' names. Since 2010 it has been one of four German regional breeding organizations linked to the European Bison Conservation Center, coordinating breeding among some 80 German breeders. In 2015 the park held 36 bison in four herds.
The park lies between Eldagsen and Springe, north of the L 461; the K 213 separates it from the Hallerbruch. The 90-hectare grounds are crossed by paths through oak and beech forest, alder marsh, ponds and meadows, so plan enough time for walking. The Sauparkmauer, a 16 km limestone wall built between 1836 and 1839, borders the site on two sides.
The Saupark wall, built between 1836 and 1839 from limestone quarried nearby, runs along two sides of the park and is considered Lower Saxony's longest monument. Inside the grounds, an oak colonised by the hermit beetle was secured with steel cables in 2012; the Hallerbruch next door holds the beetle's largest population in the state.
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