When Poland banned wolf hunting,numbers doubled. But now animal scientists alarm that politicians could turn back the clockRobert Mysłajek stops dead. Between two paw prints on a muddy mountain track, the scientist finds what he is looking for. “Scats!’’ he enthuses. Wolf sightings are so scarce that a flash of faeces marks a good day, or even for a seasoned tracker.
But it is getting easier. There are now an estimated 1500 wolves in Poland. The number has doubled in 15 years. Wolves are – along with the brown bear,the lynx and the wolverine – Europe’s last large predator carnivores. Conservationists from Britain, Germany and the Netherlands are beating a path here to find out how the country has saved this protected species, and slandered even in fairytales.
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Source: theguardian.com