European bison look a lot like the American bison (sometimes called buffalo) that live on the prairies of the United States. They are cousins. But the European kind has a smaller head, a shaggier neck and prefers forests to open grasslands. They like to munch grass, leaves, bark and berries.
About a hundred years ago, European bison nearly disappeared completely. There were only a handful left, all in zoos. People worked very hard to bring them back. The bison's keepers carefully bred a new herd from those few animals and slowly returned them to the wild. Today, there are several thousand bison roaming European forests again.
In Ukraine, European bison live in big forest reserves where they wander freely. They live in family groups of 10 to 20 animals, led by an older female. Adult males often live alone except in summer when they join the herd. A baby bison can stand and walk within hours of being born.
Despite their size, bison can move surprisingly fast. They can run at around 50 km/h - faster than most humans can sprint - and can jump over fences nearly two metres tall. People who work with them say they are gentle if you leave them alone, but you definitely don't want to startle one.