Czy żubr może pokochać krowę?
Can a Bison Love a Cow?

Summary/Abstract: The article describes interactions between bison and domestic cows, which – despitebelonging to two different genera – can interbreed both naturally and forced by man.The natural inclinations of these animals have often been treated as a threat to thespecies purity of one of the symbols of Poland: the bison. On the other hand, controlledcrossbreeding brought tangible benefits. Hybridization was accompanied by heterosis,thanks to which the new individual had a much higher weight than its parents, wasstronger, more resistant, and more resilient. These advantages led to attempts – as earlyas in the mid-nineteenth century – to bring to life a creature called “żubroń,” a namecoined by readers of the periodical Przekrój in a contest.

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