Simona Gabriela Kossak (born 30 May 1943 in Krakow; died 15 March 2007 in

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...

, Poland) was a biologist, ecologist, and professor of forest sciences. Kossak is known for her efforts to preserve the remnants of natural ecosystems in Poland. Her work dealt with, among other things, the behavioral ecology of mammals. She sometimes referred to herself as a "zoo-psychologist."

Early life

Kossak was born in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

Career

In 1980, the Scientific Council of the Forest Research Institute awarded Kossak with a doctoral degree in Forest Sciences on the basis of her doctoral dissertation "Research on the trophic situation of roe deer in the habitat of fresh mixed coniferous forest in the Białowieża Primeval Forest" and, in 1991, with a postdoctoral degree in Forest Sciences on the basis of her postdoctoral dissertation "Environmental and intraspecific determinants of the feeding behavior of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) in the forest environment". In 1997, she received the academic title of Professor of Forest Sciences. Kossak worked at the Mammal Research Institute of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences ( pl, Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of ...

Białowieża Białowieża ( be, Белавежа, Biełavieža) is a village (population 2,000 as of 2002) in Poland's Podlaskie Voivodeship, Podlasie Province, in the middle of the Białowieża Forest, to which it gave its name. The village is some east of ...

and at the Forest Research Institute at the Department of Natural Forests, where she was the director from January 2003 until her death in 2007. She was also one of the originators of the UOZ-1 repeller, a device that warns wild animals of passing trains. In October 2000, Kossak was awarded the

Golden Cross of Merit The Cross of Merit () is a Polish civil state decoration established on 23 June 1923, to recognize services to the state. History At the time of its establishment in 1923, the Cross of Merit was the highest civilian award in Poland. It was aw ...

. Kossak was known for her uncompromising views about and actions for the protection of nature, especially in the Białowieża Forest, where she lived in the old forester's lodge "Dziedzinka" for over 30 years.

Personal life

Kossak came from a well-known artistic family. She was the daughter of

Jerzy Kossak Jerzy Maciej Kossak (Kraków, 11 September 1886 – 11 May 1955, Kraków) was a Polish realist painter specializing in military scenes. He was the son of painter Wojciech Kossak and grandson of painter Juliusz Kossak, a third-generation artist fro ...

, sister of

Gloria Kossak Gloria Kossak (1941–1991), Poland, Polish painter and poet, was a daughter of painter Jerzy Kossak and granddaughter of another renowned Polish painter, Wojciech Kossak, himself the son of Juliusz Kossak, the progenitor of the entire Kossak famil ...

, granddaughter of

Wojciech Kossak Wojciech Horacy Kossak (31 December 1856 – 29 July 1942) was a noted Poland, Polish Painting, painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of artists and writers. He was the son of painter Juliusz Kossak, and twin brother of freedom figh ...

, and great-granddaughter of

Juliusz Kossak Juliusz Fortunat Kossak (Nowy Wiśnicz, 15 December 1824 – 3 February 1899, Kraków) was an Austrian Polish historical painter and master illustrator who specialized in battle scenes, military portraits and horses. He was the progenitor of an ...

, and niece of

Magdalena Samozwaniec Magdalena Samozwaniec née Kossak ( Krakow, 26 July 1894 – 20 October 1972, Warsaw) was a Polish writer. The Kossak family is known for many artists including her father Wojciech Kossak, her brother Jerzy and sister Maria Maria may refer to: ...

and

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska, ''née'' Kossak (24 November 1891 – 9 July 1945), was a prolific Polish poet known as the ''Polish Sappho'' and "queen of lyrical poetry" during Poland's interwar period.

. Lech Wilczek, a naturalist, photographer, and writer, was Kossak's partner.Distinguished photographer of nature dies at 88
28 December 2018, ''polandin.com'', accessed 4 September 2021

Publications

Books

*
The Białowieza Forest Saga
' *
The National Park in the Białowieza Forest
'

Articles

* Borowski, S., & Kossak, S. (1972). Bisoniana LI. The natural food preferences of the European bison in seasons free of snow cover. ''Acta theriologica'', 17(13), 151-169. * Borowski, S., & Kossak, S. (1975). The food habits of deer in the Białowieża Primeval Forest. ''Acta Theriologica'', 20(32), 463-506. * Kossak, S. (1976). The complex character of the food preferences of Cervidae and phytocenosis structure. ''Acta theriologica'', 21(27), 359-373. * Kossak, S. (1983). Trophic relations of roe deer in a fresh deciduous forest. ''Acta theriologica'', 28(6), 83-127. * Kossak, S. (1989). Multiple hunting by lynx and red fox and utilization of prey by some carnivores. ''Acta Theriologica'', 34(36), 505-512. * Kossak, S. (1992). Foraging habits and behaviour of moose calves in virgin forest. ''Acta Theriologica'', 37, 51-51.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kossak, Simona 1943 births 2007 deaths Women biologists Polish biologists 20th-century Polish women scientists 20th-century biologists 21st-century Polish women scientists 21st-century biologists Scientists from Kraków Polish ecologists