Wolves. Is there another group of animals that is surrounded by so much controversy? We worship wolves, persecute wolves, hunt wolves, and spend thousands of dollars for the chance to see wolves in the wild. Some of us want wolves to be wiped off the face of the earth, while others want these apex predators to be restored to all of their former range.
On the show, we’ve explored human-wolf coexistence in the US, Canada, and Western Europe, and I had to ask, is this narrative true in other parts of the world? Are we just as torn about wolves in Eastern European where wolves were never fully wiped out?
To answer these questions and so much more, today we are sitting down with Polish author, Anna Maziuk. Beginning in 2014, Anna dedicated her life to telling the story of Poland’s wolves through a human lens. In the following six years, she met with biologists and various stakeholder groups to write her book, Instinct, About wolves in Polish forests.
Anna and I have a wonderful time exploring her childhood growing up in Poland’s forests, why she went into journalism, the moment she became hooked on wolves, the past, present and future of wolves in Poland, and what it was like for her to sit down and interview people with opposite views than her.
Before we dive in, I wanted to keep you all in the loop about the fun things I’m up to! When this episode drops, I’ll be somewhere in the sky on my way to Tanzania for my job with The Wild Source. The goal of this trip is to interview the biologist team at our Njozi Camp, and spend as much time in the bush as possible to record big cat sightings for a massive project that I’m leading. Be sure to follow @Brookerewild and @Rewildology on Instagram to see everything I’m getting into. Ah, I can’t wait to take a group of you to the incredible natural places I visit. That will be a dream come true.
Okay, let’s get back to wolves in Poland. Please enjoy this conversation with Anna.