Valea Zimbrilor (Bison Reserve)

Valea Zimbrilor is a nature reserve located in the village of Acriș, Vama Buzăului commune, Brașov County, on the left bank of the Buzău River, at the contact zone between the Buzău Mountains and the Întorsura Buzăului Depression. It opened in November 2008, as part of a tourism development project backed by the Prejmer and Vama Buzăului town halls, the Brașov County Council, and the Brașov County Sustainable Development Agency, starting with just 5 animals donated by zoos in Switzerland, Austria, and Italy — making it Romania's fourth bison reserve, after those at Vânători-Neamț, Hațeg-Silvuț, and Neagra-Bucșani. The reserve is home to European bison (Bison bonasus), Europe's largest land mammal species. Adult males can weigh 400-920 kg (occasionally up to 1,000 kg) and stand 1.6-2 m at the shoulder. The species went extinct in the European wild in 1927, when the last wild individual was killed by poachers, and was successfully reintroduced starting in 1951, with today's population descending from just a few dozen surviving captive animals. The reserve's area started at 9-10 hectares of pasture and is being gradually expanded, with the goal of reaching 92 hectares (80 ha forest, 12 ha pasture), to meet European standards for semi-free-ranging animals. The current herd numbers between 20 and 35 animals, most born on-site — the first calf born here was named Gențiana. The population is part of the European conservation network for the species, managed through the European Bison Pedigree Book. In 2019, several animals raised at Vama Buzăului were released into the wild in the Țarcu Mountains, as part of Romania's national program to repopulate the Carpathians. The reserve gives visitors the chance to observe bison directly in semi-natural conditions, alongside deer, roe deer, mouflon, and peacocks. It is reached via national road DN10 to Întorsura Buzăului, then a local road to the village of Acriș, about 40 minutes from Brașov. The area has local tourist infrastructure, with lodging available in nearby villages, and Urlătoarea Waterfall and the UNESCO-listed Prejmer Fortified Church are both nearby. Worth visiting as one of the few places in Romania to observe European bison in near-natural conditions, as part of an active species conservation program.