History of Science and Engineering Annotation << Back BIALOWIEZA FOREST AND BISON IN THE RUSSIAN HUNTING PERIODICALS OF THE LATE IMPERIAL TIMES A.A. Fedotova Bialowieza Primeval Forest and the European bison are objects that were often discussed in scientific and popular periodicals. In 1985, an annotated index of Russian literature on Białowieża Forest was published, containing more than 1800 titles, and since then this number has only increased. The compilers of this index, however, did not include some categories of periodicals, in particular, hunting magazines of the imperial times. This article aims to fill this gap and analyze how Bialowieza Forest and Białowieża bison were described by hunters and for hunters with some assumptions about the reliability of the information given in such periodicals. The article also provides brief information about hunting magazines and the authors who wrote about the Forest and the bison. Among the authors were both almost occasional visitors to the Forest and renowned respected experts, including professors of zoology. The Bialowieza Forest and bison appeared on the pages of Russian hunting periodicals practically from their earliest steps, i.e. from the mid-19th century; they were discussed relatively often, especially if we compare with the real chances of readers to participate in a bison hunt. Many reprints and retellings were published, with some sources receiving incomparably more attention than others. Already in the mid-19th century Russian-speaking authors emphasized that the Bialowieza Forest and the bison were preserved thanks to the care of the Russian government; they were the objects of national and imperial pride. By the early 20th century it was also said that they were also pan-European and world heritage, that the Russian Empire had the international responsibility for their preservation. We managed to find several publications about the bison transferred to the forests of the Gatchina Imperial Hunting and some other hunting parks and zoos. Keywords: European bison, Bialowieza Primeval Forest, hunting periodicals, Russian Empire. DOI: 10.25791/intstg.10.2022.1381 Pp. 18-34.