Zoological reserve was formed to preserve the Volyn bison (zubr in Ukrainian) population. These animals are now under threat of extinction worldwide.
Bison is the largest mammal in the Volyn region. In the past, this animal was very common in Europe, but disappeared from the territory of Volyn at the end of the XVII century due to low natural fertility, large-scale uprooting of forests, plowing of lands, and destructive hunting.
At the beginning of the XX century bison lived only in Bilovezka Pushcha (Belarus). The animals were reacclimatized in Zvirivske and Muravyshchenske forestries (Tsuman hunting farm) in 1965.
The body length of an adult bison reaches 3.5 m, weight – up to one ton. It can be of dark-brown or gray-brown color that gets lighter in summer. Its head and forehead are covered with curly hair, that on the neck and chest ends in a mane, and on the chin – in a beard. The animals mainly live in forest areas and sparse forests. Females live in small herds of 6-8 individuals, males keep separately. Bison`s sight is weak, but the senses of smell and hearing are well-developed. Average life expectancy – 25-30 years.
Volunteers together with “Tsumanska Pushcha” workers have identified two herds of bison numbering about 10 individuals each, which are constantly migrating. Also, some individuals live in a hunting enclosure in the tract “Bolyarka”.
The status of the reserve also provides preservation of highly productive oak and pine forests, rare species of plants and animals.
The boundaries of the reserve have changed many times, now covering an area of 5,530 hectares.
