A month ago, five bison embryos were implanted into five black and white cows. Three of them have been just confirmed to be pregnant. The embryo transfer to surrogate mothers was carried out by a team of scientists led by Dr Anna Duszewska, Prof. of Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) from the Institute of Veterinary Medicine.

Despite the successful transfer, the scientists will learn about the final success of the experiment only in about 8 months, when the first bison will be born by a representative of another species, i.e. domestic cattle.

These activities are carried out to protect the species and ensure the future exchange of genetic material between herds – said Prof. Wanda Olech, project coordinator and director of the Institute of Animal Sciences SGGW.

There is also the Bison Gene Bank in SGGW in Warsaw storing tissues, DNA, spermatozoa, oocytes and embryos of the bison at low temperatures. The DNA collection includes about 3500 individuals from Poland and other European countries.