In 1980, Mieczysław Zych Ptoś had herded sheep here, and eight years later his son Józef took over his profession. His great-grandfather Jędrek Ptoś, who used to shepherd in the Chochołowska Valley, took care of the grazing. 'We run the shepherd's hut as a family. Our two sons help us. They are the next generation of the Ptosia family', points out Maria, wife of senior shepherd Józef. They base their shepherding activities on their livestock – 150 sheep and 11 head of cattle. They graze on the land of the Forestry Community of the Entitled 8 Villages and on leased private land. It must be acknowledged that these areas are unique in the whole of the Polish Tatra Mountains. Although the Chochołowska Valley and adjacent areas are under the supervision of the Tatra National Park, they are governed and managed by highlanders from the Forest Community of 8 Villages. They are doing quite well, successfully combining nature protection with wise environmental management. The flocks of sheep have become a regular part of the landscape of the mountain glades and the pastures at higher elevations. Once synonymous with wealth, sheep are now a passion for most shepherds and an inseparable part of their lives. Although, as everyone says, there is no longer any money to be made in pastoralism, it is more a matter of preserving the highlander family tradition, which is sacred in the Tatras.