son of a shepherd, is puzzled by wolves’ bad reputation. “Why does one speak of a 'lone-wolf gunman'? Why did we have to have Little Red Riding Hood?" He is fascinated by these aloof canines who remained in the wild 33,000 years ago when others decided on a much more comfortable existence as domestic dogs. Wolves are not pooches. Mysłajek says only scientific arguments – the need to regenerate forests and control the wild animal population – can save Europe’s wild carnivores, especially the unpopular wolf. “Natural predators balance the ecosystem. They keep herbivores in check, thus allowing trees to grow tall for birds to nest in.” Shoot the deer? “It is only a partial solution,” he says. “In a diverse environment, you have the so-called 'landscape of fear', where herbivores no longer spend all day grazing on the tender riverside grass. They move away, as a precaution, to avoid being trapped by a predator. This gives the vegetation a chance.” The ban on wolf hunting in the western Carpathians came into force in 1995 and nationwide in Poland in 1998. There are now resident packs in virtually all the country’s major forests. The predators coexist with humans rather than being fenced off, as they are in African safari parks. The Polish government pays compensation for livestock killed by wolves. Mysłajek advises farmers on erecting electric fences.