In the dense forests of the Białowieża Primeval Forest in eastern Poland, tracker Rafał Kowalczyk follows the trail of a herd of European bison. The animals dissolve among the trees like ghosts, and their presence is betrayed only by the crack of branches and heavy breathing. The European bison is not the American buffalo: it is more slender, taller and faster, and its ancestors once roamed the open steppes and meadows of the entire continent.
As early as the beginning of the twentieth century, the species found itself on the brink of extinction. The last wild bison in the Białowieża Primeval Forest died in 1919, and by 1927 not a single one remained in the Caucasus. Fewer than six dozen individuals survived in zoos and private estates. All of today's descendants trace back to twelve of them — about nine and a half thousand animals worldwide.
Poland became the center of the species' rescue. In 1952 the first bison were released back into the Białowieża Primeval Forest, and today the largest free-ranging population lives there — about nine hundred head. The animals are fed in winter, strictly counted and monitored for health. However, this "managed" way of life makes them vulnerable: heavy inbreeding, dependence on humans and the risk of epidemics.
Scientists from the Polish Academy of Sciences and national parks are now setting a new task — to return the bison to more natural, historical habitats. Previously these giants preferred open spaces, not only dense forests. Modern projects are aimed at creating suitable conditions in the less developed regions of Eastern Europe, where the animals can lead a wilder way of life, influence vegetation and spread seeds.
Efforts are already yielding results in other countries: new herds are appearing in Romania, Germany, Spain and even in the Caucasus. In Poland, researchers are studying the animals' behavior, their migrations and needs in order to minimize conflicts with people and agriculture. The bison remains a symbol of Polish nature — its image appears on logos, beer and vodka — but now it can also become a symbol of broader ecosystem restoration.
Success depends on whether it will be possible to create expanses where the bison will not merely survive under supervision, but live fully and influence the environment.
