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Britain's Prince Charles arrived in Poland on Monday, a journey that includes a visit to a bison-filled woodland -- Europe's last remaining primeval forest -- thanks to the preservation efforts of kings and czars of centuries past.

The British Embassy in Warsaw said the environmentally minded prince, along with his wife, Camilla, will visit a bison reserve where they will be guaranteed a view of several of the hefty beasts that are Europe's largest land mammals and less-hirsute cousins of the North American buffalo.

During the warmer months, the bison feed on grass and other vegetation, living in the wild and avoiding human settlements. But during the winter they are dependent on supplemental feeding stations that help them survive and keep them from ravaging farmlands. Some call the animals the “ghosts of the forest.”

Travelers come from far and wide mainly to see the bison, an animal that lived across much of Europe until 10,000 years ago but whose habitat shrank dramatically with deforestation and the spread of towns and cities across Europe in recent centuries.

There are more than 800 in the forest, with 450 on the Polish side, together making up the world's largest free-living population of European bison.

Charles and Camilla finish their Polish visit on Wednesday, meeting with soldiers bound for Afghanistan before continuing on to Hungary and the Czech Republic.

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（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Renee Haines is an editor and broadcaster at China Daily. Renee has more than 15 years of experience as a newspaper editor, radio station anchor and news director, news-wire service reporter and bureau chief, magazine writer, book editor and website consultant. She came to China from the United States.