On the trail of the wolf, Europe’s much maligned and misunderstood predator

When Poland banned wolf hunting, numbers doubled. But now animal scientists fear that politicians could turn back the clock

Robert MysAajek 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 rare that a flash of faeces marks a good day, even for a seasoned tracker.

But it is getting easier. There are now an estimated 1,500 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, slandered even in fairytales.