Poland’s Last Wilderness: Where Europe’s Wild Heart Beats
one of the last wild regions of Europe here animals Thrive that have otherwise long since disappeared vast marshlands dense forests and endless Meadows characterize Poland’s East but this wilderness is endangered do the black stalk bison and moose have a future today nature shows her many faces and a wealth of species unparalleled elsewhere in Europe winter in B VI Asia one of Europe’s last
primeval forests here on the border between Poland and bellus temperatures of 20° below zero are not uncommon fur full of snow and icy snouts only Cod Specialists are able to withstand the extreme conditions prevalent here bison are Europe’s largest land animals the Bulls can weigh almost a ton and reach shoulder Heights of just under 2 m they were once widespread throughout most of Europe then in the wild 100 years ago they were practically exterminated some of the Bison found refuge in B viia until they too were
poached at the end of World War I only a handful of animals in captivity survived thanks to an international breeding program bison were reintroduced to B viia all of the Bison living in Europe today descend from just 12 animals in the winter smaller groups join forces to form large herds in their search for plants in the open areas beneath the blanket of snow for the rest of the year they roam the forests in groups of up to 20 animals around 1,500 bison once again moved freely between Poland and bellus however this migration ended in
2021 with the erection of border fencing no one is yet able to predict what this will eventually mean for the animals Poland’s East is only sparely populated mainly smaller Villages appear on the fringes of the Prime Forest the bov vi Asia National Park is located some 700 km east of Berlin on both the Polish and belarussian sides slightly further north lie the bebja lowlands Poland’s largest national park with a length of just over 100 km the beire river valley constitutes the main section of the national Park this Marshland is therefore of
international significance a rare encounter between two very different neighbors neither Beaver nor otter is concerned about the icy water both animals have thick fur that keeps the frosty cold at Bay they are perfectly adapted to their habitat Additionally the beaver also applies a secretion to its fur to protect against permanent soaking like the Bison beavers and Otter have been h.unted to the brink of Extinction today thanks to strict protection measures they are now returning to their traditional habitats in contrast to the clumsy and
ponderous Beaver the otter is slimmer agile and Nimble it covers long distance is on a daily basis both on land and in water water Martens prefer Solitude Only the Young remain with the mother until they reach adulthood even at temperatures well below zero grooming is of great importance waters are also very curious and playful this cannot be said of a beaver he prefers a spectator role a stone is suitable for pushing rolling and balancing prerequisites for Life as a predator include being dextrous
versatile and agile the unusual favorite toy is scrupulously guarded and held on to apparently even underwater there are all sorts of things that one could do with the chunk then take the beaver who is rarely in a hurry ponderously and at a leisurely Pace he grapples his way through the snow in contrast to the otter he is a pure vegetarian he doesn’t have to stalk or chase his prey as it doesn’t flee
his teeth make short work of wood the willow Rod is bitten through in no time carrying it away is more of a problem the beaver is not concerned with speed endurance is his discipline or as they say in Poland everything’s difficult until it becomes easy he’s not interested in Wood it’s the bark he’s after it’s now his main
Staple in the winter beavers build Food Depot at the entrances to their homes it’s then that they hardly ever leave their safe cozy and warm Burrows a few weeks later melting snow and ice have turned the Bea into a vast flood plane a paradise for beavers apart from bark in the spring he can Harvest fresh shoots and leaves and all this on his own
doorstep next door a blue throat is busy belting out a song he has only just returned from Africa the competition doesn’t sleep to mark their territory and attract the females the rivals whistle a few dites themselves After experiencing a winter of deprivation the cousins of the American Bison fortify themselves with some fresh greens older balls tend to be more solitary the younger ones prefer
spending time in the company of others in small and loose groups the home of the Bison the Basia Forest is considered to be the last lowland primeval forest of its kind in Europe and has been designated a world heritage site by the UNESCO Poland’s East provides wild boes with ideal living conditions in the Lush forests there is more than enough for the omnivores to eat irrespective of the Season especially the young benefit from the abundance of food enough food for the s means ample milk for the little
ones but eventually the Glutton get on the nerves of even the most patient mother now it’s time for a good romp the young are born early in the year their str.i.ped fur camouflages them perfectly for the first 3 to four months of their lives their Wild play strengthens both their muscles and stamina essential for Life as a wild B when there’s no sparring partner then it’s down to solitary training wh@tever the so always keeps a watchful eye on her Offspring after to play tree trunk
peeling is next on the agenda this provides the necessary Comfort this is followed by a cozy nap in April quite a spectacle takes place on the MOs of b v male Mor frogs compete for the females by blabbering as loud as they can during The Mating Season the male’s skin has a sky blue color they push box and shove with a vengeance the females have little or no choice
there’s no getting past the hormone charged males but in a few days it’s all over and peace returns to the swamp as of April just before the leaf canopy closes early Bloomers begin to cover the Primeval forest floor Coralis W an enemy and smack dab in the middle a friendly primeval
Beast suddenly the bison’s Bull’s sleep comes abruptly to an end the black woodpecker couldn’t care less about resting periods quite rud ruthless apart from the semi-open pastures and clearings wild cattle prefer mixed forests with dense layers of herbs on which the ruminants like to feed in the spring wooden enemies are an essential food source for bison we can thank the insatiable large wild cattle for significantly helping to shape their habitat for the diversity of species they keep the forests open and characterize the
landscape back to the beaba it meanders through the national park with its numerous tributaries and Oxo Lakes Every Spring huge flood Plains extend across the bebia valley and give rise to widespread marshlands the largest Pete bog area in Central Europe a breeding and resting place for numerous bird species white-winged turns h.unt here for water insects they will soon be breeding on small Islands within the vast aluvial areas the babure lowlands are of great
significance to the waterb birds this is why they have been placed under protection and included in the ramsar Convention as Wetlands of international importance however agriculture around the National Park is being intensified causing the pressure on both animals and plants to steadily increase roughs still Roost in their thousands here on the migratory route to their Northern breeding grounds but these numbers are annually declining a warmup for the ensuing competition with resplendant plumage and Ruffles The Roosters attempt to impress
the hens and their competitors the males hold their tournament in so-called courtship Arenas just like many other birds the roughs allow the females to decide with whom they would like to get involved with it’s hardly surprising that this is usually the most vivacious in the ring now the calls of the firebelly toads Echo out of the water the amount and the pitch of their calls increases as the water temperature rises the tone depends on the size of
the male but at just 5 cm they are not particularly big over the centuries the large swamp forests were converted into Peak Meadows especially for hay making in the spring beautiful carpets of flowers develop on the marshes the species rich and beautiful Meadows are especially invaluable for nature the beaver has its own reasons for appreciating the blossoms and fresh Greenery to get to the coveted herbs he sometimes even goes further Inland but never far away from the water unlike many other regions of
Poland the beab marshes are still traditionally farmed cows graze on open land every day they are driven into bars for milking when farming is not too intensive it can even contribute to Nature conservation nonetheless nature should always be given enough space especially in a national park Additionally the flood Plaines with their species Rich flora and fora make the Bea unique in Europe River dwellers such as the Arta benefit from the pristine nature of the habitat
with a bit of luck one can even observe the timid water mountains during the day otters stake out fixed territories the Lots in Prime locations are all occupied shallow stretches of river with clear water and overgrown banks are the most desirable undisturbed here the otter reveal their playful nature OTS Propel themselves through the water with Incredible elegance and breathtaking speed they swim almost inaudibly whilst perceiving nearby sounds and smells to this end their ears nose and eyes remain in a line just above the water
level thanks to the long tactile hairs on their faces they can even fish in the cloud1est of waters very successfully the otter eats larger prey on land on the menu fish of course but also amphibians reptiles small small birds and Crustaceans suddenly the otter interrupts his snack what was that close by a beaver makes a hasty retreat with an aler Branch even the beaver territories are fall to capacity according to the food supply a family’s territory extends from River lengths between 1 to 3 km the plant-based d1et of the rodents
is nowhere near as high energy as the animal food of the Otters therefore the leisurely beavers spend so much time knowing while the by far more agile ERS take the same amount of time h.unting the Bea flood Plaines are also the habitat of a very special animal the black stalk is yet another of far too many endangered species these relatives of the white stalk avoid
contact with humans and rarely show themselves he usually searches for food by waiting through the water poking at his prey with his beak others have gathered here alongside him these mute swan chicks are just a few days old black necked grebs raise their offspring at the Waters of the bmia in contrast to the black stalks
that actively poke at their prey gry Heralds are lurking Hunters unexpectedly at a lightning speed the Heron strikes although more at home in the protective Forest the black stalk Ventures out onto the open flood Plains of the Bea it soon becomes obvious why as if there were no tomorrow he devours a NeverEnding supply of fish the stalk removes greens from the
fish as if using tweezers the cultivated land along the Bea is still traditionally founded good preconditions for the numerous white stalks when foraging hoop often like to settle close by The Villages they utilize the hollows in Old willow trees for raising their offspring the chicks are just about ready to fledge they will soon leave their makeshift home the parents never grow tired of
constantly carrying food back to their glonous y mole crickets are especially popular as they are fatty and nutritious morels both hoop and the white stalk still find enough prey in the species Rich Meadows around the Bea cultivated land and nature don’t necessarily have to be in conflict with one another where there are traditionally used Meadows and pastures there is also inevitably a wealth of Flora and FAA hoop white stalks and all the others each have a future there if circumjacent land is cultivated
in an echo-friendly fashion Villages can provide a home for stalks suitable nesting s are a further prerequisite several pairs of stalks have made their nest on the church in il vetes they seem content for now but unfort fortunately the number of white stalks is decreasing annually images such as these have now become rare and could soon become a thing of the past Poland’s East is also undergoing change just like the old village structures and economic forms the animals that have become adapted to them
are disappearing here too Village U yet only for Outsiders who can BL blame the residents for wanting more Prosperity the problem is with modern Agriculture and progress nature will inevitably suffer only as long as structural diversity remains will biodiversity be able to secure itself a future tirelessly the hoop chicks plaintively beg for food hoop benefit from structured cultural landscapes watched by its partner the other parent arrives with another mle Cricket the ch are fed day in day out an
exhausting job for the parents hoop use their long beaks to pick mle crickets and other larger insects out of the ground this time it’s Beetle although the Primeval Forest of Bia is one of the last of its kind a few years ago it faced a major threat in 2016 the Polish government authorized deforestation in prot Ed areas this illegal clearing could only be stopped by the intervention of the European
court of justice as it stands wolves and their contemporaries can continue to live here undisturbed 20 to 40 wolves roam the area around bavu viia adult and healthy moose are defensible they don’t come into consideration as prey but Moose Cales do the Moose mother senses the danger and is ready to defend her little ones the wolf realizes that there’s nothing for for him here bison are being EES dropped in another clearing in the
forest well hidden in the thicket a lynx has its a large wild cattle links are lurking Hunters that wait patiently for prey and then strike from cover bison however are totally out of their leak and anyway links prefer to stay in their hiding places in the daytime the neighbors are not keen on Crossing each other’s path either bison 2 reacts suspiciously regarding the predatory cat the lynx doesn’t dare to come out of hiding until the cattle move on an estimated 300 links live in
Poland not a great number yet but steadily on the increase not far away he has hidden the prey he caught last night and now returns to the beaten deer to continue eating it an adult Lynx needs around 1 kogam of meat per day so that the deer should last quite a while he buries The Remains so that no one else finds them Ravens for example could discover the carca.ss from the air and attract other animals food competition is not the only problem a lynx has a loss of habitat is
a far greater threat to the timid predatory cats in Poland’s East too the landscape is in transition road construction and the related fragmentation of habitats increasingly characterize the picture this development however has long since been noted in other European countries growth and structural expansion are promoted by EU funding the result monocultures and intensive cultivation instead of intact nature Poland in particular has benefited from joining the EU Brussels has poured billions into rural areas of the country and turned Poland into the
major recipient of this support policy this doesn’t leave man room for stalk coner but there are still several extensive natural landscapes in Poland’s East meanwhile early summer has made itself at home on the b a black turn searches for food in an oxbow lake black turns like to raise their chicks in sheltered and calm Waters their offspring plead for food well camouflaged
the same plants serve as anchors for the nests they build on floating islands both parents are equally responsible for raising the chicks this allows the replaced parent to enjoy some rest and refreshment dr4gonflies make up a major part of a black turn’s d1et but a fish on the other hand is literally a little harder to swallow not far away a beaver attends to his
personal hygiene and is certainly in no great hurry the young beaver is by far more interested in the greenery but he doesn’t seem very good at dealing with it only the beaver knows just why it must be this herbage after all there’s enough everywhere weighing around 18 kg beavers are Europe’s largest rodents it’s going to be quite a while until these two youngsters are ready for a long time things were looking disastrous for rodents in Poland it’s a good sign now that their numbers appear to be
recovering gradually the summer is coming to an end the days are getting shorter and the night’s cooler at the end of September Poland’s East will once again present itself from another perspective the Bison too sense the gradual approach of autumn the critical phase of another Forest dweller begins
the Red Deer are intent on keeping their Harum intact and a.sserting themselves against any competitors the more powerful the sound the stronger the Stag acoustic messages for both hindes and Rivals during the rut deer become aggress1ve due to the testosterone in their bl00d he takes his anger and frustration out on a branch this sort of behavior is not uncommon at this time of the season in the marshes lives a true giant with a
shoulder height of 2.3 M Max and weighing up to 800 kg the Moose is the largest deer in the world intensive h.unting almost led to the extinction of moose in 19th century Poland at the end of the second world war there were no more than 10 to 15 animals left in the entire country strict h.unting laws have since been in place and now we see an increase in the numbers of moose again when two moose balls meet during the ratting season they suspiciously eye one another up for the most part threatening gestures prevent
Bloodshed despite being warned the small arrival Ventures d4ngerously close his chances of defeating this bull are around zero the big cheese has no interest in an exhausting confrontation and prefers simply to demonstrate his Superior strength then he makes a decisive move that settled it his smaller opponent grasp the situation and vacates the premises he is and Remains The Boss It’s Autumn in eastern
Poland he as much as possible where’s the bacon acorns are an authentic concentrated feed in the so-called fattening years like this one there are plenty of them to be had in B viia nature and culture are sometimes surprisingly close bison are regular guests in most of the villages fear of contact is practically Unknown man and animal have grown accustom to one another the same doesn’t go for other countries when in 27 a ball entered the German border for the
first time in centuries it was sh0t de@d within a few hours with official permission apparently on the grounds that there was danger to life and limb the shooting caused outrage and incomprehension throughout the whole of Poland the animal was well known in West Pomerania for years and was somewhat of a star no one ever felt threatened and no incidents have ever occurred nevertheless in babia and its environs the inhabitants and bison live in peaceful coexistence in the worst case bison could be a danger for traffic or if they
are harriage but people here have come to terms with the situation snow falls early in the winter the Polish Villages close by the national park are soon covered beneath a thick blanket of snow in the babire lowlands too the puls has slowed down significantly the beavers have withdrawn to their Lodge they rarely come out and brave the winter elements it’s warm and cozy inside irrespective of the outside temperature the inhabitants of Eastern Poland are
used to Long Cold Winters when h.unting in deep snow becomes too much of a chore the Wolves set their focus on the villages around 2,500 wolves live in Poland today about four or five times more than is the case in neighboring Germany here too people have come to terms with the situation and @ttacks on humans are practically unknown wolves are however d4ngerous for Red Deer but in the winter deer have another problem to master the sheer lack of food is at the top of the list moose save energy resources where they can when they don’t eat they rest
they cope well with icy temperatures but bison Remain the absolute cold temp specialists it’s hardly a matter of course that Europe’s largest land animals f1ght their f1ghts here 100 years ago in the wild they became extinct the successful reintroduction of the Giants is now a nature conservation showcase their enormous ecological importance has since been recognized by shaping the habitat they provide for biodiversity thanks to the Vigor of committed conservationists and international cooperation further settlement attempts have been
successfully initiated in several European countries just how much space we allow them and what the future holds in store for the gentle Giants is entirely up to Mankind in eastern Poland at least it looks as though the Bison had and all of the other animals have an exceedingly good chance of surviving am
