The story and science behind the recent appearance of a bear in Białowieża Forest
This article first appeared on the Notes from Poland newsblog. Białowieża Forest is Europe’s last primeval forest. The vast expanse of dense woodland on the border between Poland and Belarus is replete with moss-covered trees harbouring species extinct elsewhere. Yet, for all its well-preserved nature, and successful efforts to reintroduce its iconic bison, since the […]
We recorded a bear in Białowieża Forest!
This beauty is the first bear ever filmed in Białowieża Forest. He stumbled onto one of our experimental plots last Friday. We’re over the moon as it’s the first bear documented in Białowieża Forest in over 50 years. Bears went extinct here at the end of the 19th century due to over-hunting. Apart from a […]
How to spot a wild European bison
Seeing a wild European bison is the highlight of many people’s trip to Bialowieza Primeval Forest: Poland’s national animal is the icon of the forest, and has a truly epic history. But despite their large size, finding one can often pose somewhat of a problem. They can be rather shy, and spend the majority of […]
The private life of wolves
We have more in common with wolves than meets the eye. And I’ve always felt that if more people knew this, it could help transform public opinion, making the species far easier to protect. But as it is, accurate accounts of these mysterious animals remain rare. This piece on the intimate private lives of wolves […]
The Wolf – Our research
We were recently overjoyed to hear that the Polish National Science Centre is to fund our further study of how wolves affect European ecosystems. This work will be a continuation of the now world-famous research coming out of Yellowstone National Park, where it was well established that the reintroduction of wolves repaired long lost ecological […]
The story of the bison of Białowieża Forest
The story of the European bison is perhaps the textbook example of how humans can both decimate and restore nature. Europe’s biggest animal once roamed Europe’s vast primeval landscapes from Russia to Spain. But over the past millenium, the expanding human population drove its precipitous decline. People cut down their forests, planted crops on their […]
Species threatened by logging in Białowieża Primeval Forest
The following are species negatively affected by excessive logging and removal of dead wood from Białowieża Forest. Most of these endangered species depend on an abundance of dead wood, which is why they are extinct across most managed forests (where dead wood is routinely removed). In time I’ll add some details and photos for each […]
Bison in Poland. Where can we find them?
European Bison are Europe’s biggest land animal, which once roamed almost the entire continent from Russia to Spain. Their numbers gradually dwindled over the last millennium till only two populations survived – one in Białowieża Forest, and another in the Caucasus. These two lonesome populations existed for a couple of centuries, until ninety years ago […]
Wolves in Poland. Where can we find them?
Wolves in Poland have recovered remarkably over the past decade, with around 1500 of them now inhabiting the country. Only a few years ago wolves inhabited only the remote eastern forests and southern mountains. They can now be found all over Poland, even in woodlands adjacent to dense urban areas. Wolf populations in Poland Wolves […]
Lynx in Poland. Where can we find them?
The lynx is perhaps Poland’s most charming carnivore. This enigmatic and mysterious animal of deep forests lives only in the most remote parts of the country: the highest mountains and vast, sparsely populated forext complexes of eastern Poland. There are some 300 lynx in Poland between two transboundary populations: the Carpathian and Baltic. These number […]