The largely wild and unspoiled Făgăraș Mountains in Romania are on their way to becoming a European park as spectacular as North America’s Yellowstone or Africa’s Serengeti, thanks to a man who has been captivated by wolves since childhood and the vision of a Swiss billionaire.

The incredible story really begins when wildlife biologist Christoph Promberger, the son, grandson and great-grandson of foresters, went to northern Canada in 1990 to research wolves for his university dissertation. Support from the German outdoor apparel company Jack Wolfskin provided a good backpack, sleeping bag, and functional clothing for his stay in a remote Yukon cabin.