Locals called her a witch. She kept a lynx in her bed, a wild boar under her roof, and a crow that terrorized the neighborhood by stealing gold and attacking bicyclists.
Simona Kossak was a Polish biologist, ecologist, and professor of forest sciences who spent more than 30 years living without electricity or running water in Poland's Białowieża Forest, becoming one of the country's most influential conservation advocates.
An Artistic Family, A Different Path
Born in Kraków in 1943, Kossak came from a celebrated family of Polish painters — the great-granddaughter of Juliusz Kossak, granddaughter of Wojciech Kossak, and daughter of Jerzy Kossak, with poet nieces Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska and Magdalena Samozwaniec also in her extended family. Rather than continuing the family's artistic tradition, she pursued biology at Jagiellonian University, earning her degree in 1970.
A Life in the Forest
Hoping to work in Poland's Tatra or Bieszczady mountains, Kossak instead found her only opening as a biologist in Białowieża, one of the last remaining fragments of the primeval forest that once covered much of Europe. She moved into Dziedzinka, a remote wooden forester's cabin, in 1971 and remained there for the rest of her life, restoring the cottage and furnishing it with family heirlooms brought from Kraków. She lived without electricity or running water by choice, believing life should be simple and lived close to nature.
Household of Wild Animals
Over the decades, Kossak shared her home with an ever-changing menagerie, including a lynx that slept in her bed, a tame wild boar named Żabka who ate meals alongside her, twin moose she named Cola and Pepsi, and a notorious crow named Korasek who became something of a local legend for stealing cigarette cases, hairbrushes, and gold, and for attacking passing cyclists. Locals half-jokingly called her a witch for her ability to communicate with and win the trust of wild animals most people considered dangerous or untamable.
A Scientist and Advocate
Kossak earned a doctorate in forest sciences in 1980 and a postdoctoral degree in 1991, eventually becoming a full professor in 2000. She worked at the Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and later directed the Forest Research Institute's Department of Natural Forests. She co-developed the UOZ-1 repeller, a device that warns wild animals of approaching trains, and spent decades fighting to protect Białowieża's untouched old-growth areas from logging, at times clashing directly with fellow researchers and officials over practices she considered cruel or harmful to wildlife, including cage traps she once confiscated from a research team, arguing they posed a lethal risk to the forest's already tiny lynx population. She also produced award-winning nature documentaries and radio programs to bring her conservation message to a wider public.
Recognition and Death
Kossak received Poland's Golden Cross of Merit in 2000 and the Wiktor Godlewski Medal in 2003. She died on November 5, 2007, in Białystok. A street in Białowieża was named in her honor in 2017, and her former home at Dziedzinka has since been preserved as a protected memorial site open for educational tours.
A Legacy in Culture
Kossak's life has continued to draw public fascination since her death. Anna Kamińska's 2015 biography became a Polish bestseller, and a 2024 biographical film, directed by Adrian Panek and starring Sandra Drzymalska, won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Polish Film Festival.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Simona Kossak really live with wild animals in her home?
Yes. Over the decades she shared her forest cabin with a lynx, a tame wild boar, and other animals, forming documented, long-term relationships with them as part of her research and personal life.
What did Simona Kossak actually accomplish as a scientist?
She earned a professorship in forest sciences, conducted decades of research on wildlife behavior in Białowieża Forest, co-developed a train-warning device to protect wild animals, and was a leading advocate for expanding protections for old-growth forest.
When did Simona Kossak die?
She died on November 5, 2007, in Białystok, Poland, at age 64.