Once hunted to the brink of extinction, the European bison now dwells only in the forests of Poland and Belarus – putting it right on the frontlines of border patrols.

In the snowy wilderness surrounding the Polish–Belarusian border roam European bison, woolly sentinels who bear witness to the heavy fencing and armed guards designed to police the movement of refugees. This is an eerie, beautiful glimpse of a political crisis, as you’ve never seen it before.