18/03/2026
Have you heard of Simona Kossak? She was a scientist, ecologist, and an activist who fought to protect Europe's oldest forest. She was also a fascinating person. The locals called her a witch (an experience that Nya from Witterkin knows well), because she chatted with animals and owned a terrorist-crow, who stole gold and attacked bicycle riders. She spent more than 30 years in a wooden hut in the Białowieża Forest (Poland), without electricity or access to running water. A lynx slept in her bed, and a tamed boar lived with her under the same roof.
Simona Kossak was born on this day in 1943.
Image: Simona with her creatures photographed by L**h Wilczek