Howard Rosen Productions, Inc.
TITLE: Wolf: Return of an Ancient Spirit

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[dramatic percussion music]

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[wolf howls]

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[singing in Native language]

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[eagle screeches]

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[dramatic music]

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- [Narrator] I am an ancient spirit

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who has walked the Earth
for many thousands of years.

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In the beginning, I showed the
two-legged ones how to hunt.

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The Arapaho called me The Great Teacher.

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Those who study me call me Canis lupus.

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Those who hate me call me evil.

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[wolf growling]

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Much like your nature, my
nature is not easily understood.

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More than any other creature,
I stand for what is wild.

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My spirit has proven
too powerful to control,

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too strong to destroy.

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My voice is once again
heard throughout the forest.

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Listen.

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I still have much to tell you.

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[wolves howling]

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[chanting]

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[gentle music]

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It's early morning,

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and the residents of
Yellowstone National Park

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are waking up a bit more
alert than in decades past.

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[wolf howls]

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The return of an ancient spirit

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is awakening their ancient instincts.

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Absent from the west from
most of the past century,

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the wolf's return to Yellowstone

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has honed every critter's senses.

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This whole community of creatures

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must sharpen their survival skills

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if they expect to see another sunrise.

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Doug Smith is a wolf biologist

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for the Yellowstone Gray
Wolf Restoration Project.

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In 1995, under his leadership,

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America's first national park

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welcomed back one of
its first inhabitants.

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- Wolves were eliminated
in Yellowstone by 1926,

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so they've been eradicated for 70 years

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when we began reintroducing
them again in 1995,

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and that's important, because
they're an integral part

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of the Yellowstone ecosystem,

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and really, Yellowstone
didn't have its top carnivore.

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And so, in 1995 and 1996, we re-initiated,

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or corrected a longstanding wrong

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and brought back the wolf.

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[bright orchestral music]

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[somber music]

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- [Narrator] With the blessing
of most of the country,

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early managers of the park
had eliminated every wolf.

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They trapped them,
poisoned them, burned them,

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shot them, and ripped them apart.

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The annihilation of the big
bad wolf was carried out

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so good animals, like
elk and other big game,

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could flourish,

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But the plan backfired.

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With Yellowstone's top predator gone,

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the deer and elk became too numerous.

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The park became so overgrazed

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that it seriously threatened the balance

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of Yellowstone's entire ecosystem.

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- Bringing wolves back,
really this sounds corny,

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but it's true, brings a lot
of balance to an ecosystem,

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puts things the way they used to be,

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the way they should be, in
more appropriate levels,

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everything from vegetation to songbirds

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to elk and deer to bears to coyotes.

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Everything just seems to
be better with wolves.

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- [Narrator] One example of
the effect of the wolf's return

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is the reduction of the
coyote population by half.

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Fewer coyotes eating fewer rodents

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means there's more food
for other predators.

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We got rid of wolves before
we really got to know them,

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before we understood their
role in the ecosystem.

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Now their return to Yellowstone
has compelled many people

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to rethink how they feel about wolves.

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- Wolves are back in Yellowstone

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because the American
public wants them back.

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Nationally, about 80% of Americans

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want wolves back in the
Yellowstone ecosystem.

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It's a little bit more divided

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when you get to the local area

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of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

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- If it would've been up to the people

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in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming

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and the people that were really affected,

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it would've never happened.

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- [Narrator] Frank Wriggler owns a ranch

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just outside the gates of Yellowstone.

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It has been owned by the
Wriggler family since 1908.

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Frank has already lost five cows to wolves

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that ventured outside the park boundaries.

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- Wolves are fine in Yellowstone,

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but outside of Yellowstone,
they're a terrible thing.

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These wolves are are, for
landowners, property owners,

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people who have livestock, hunters,

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these wolves are like a cancer for 'em.

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- [Narrator] Although there
is a compensation program

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to pay back ranchers for
livestock killed by wolves,

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it's difficult to prove
that wolves did the killing.

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- And it gives you a helpless feeling.

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This country was founded
on property rights.

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Individual's rights.

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Like Patrick Henry didn't say,

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"Give me wolves or give me death."

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Liberty. And I think our
liberty is fast disappearing.

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- [Narrator] Since 1900,

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Bill Hope's family has
owned an outfitting company

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that specializes in hunting,
fishing, and summer pack trips.

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He recently had to sell his business

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because he claimed the
reintroduction of the wolves

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decimated the elk population in the area.

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- I feel threatened, and I feel sad,

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and I think that we're losing a lot.

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I just wish that people
that don't live here,

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that may never come here
and may never see a wolf,

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but still they support
the wolves being here,

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I wish those people had
something to lose like I did.

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- [Narrator] It's true that wolves

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don't always make good neighbors,

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but the animosity
between humans and wolves

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runs much deeper than
lost cows or lost income.

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- Wolves have been the
bad guy for centuries

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because they're mysterious.

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They howl.

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It sends shivers down your spine.

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But primarily because they
have to kill for a living,

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and it just happens to be,
through time, eons of time,

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evolutionary time, they kill big things.

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Deer, elk, buffalo.

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And those big things bleed,

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and we see it, and it frightens people.

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During the bubonic plague
in Europe, Black Death,

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there was no prey around.

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Peasants died in the streets.

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Wolves aren't above eating carrion.

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They were seen eating people.

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Those things frighten people.

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That's a recipe.

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They kill, they're active at night,

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they howl, and they
were seen eating people.

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That's a recipe for disaster
for a wildlife species.

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Then we took those ideas,
came to North America,

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and we put wolves at the top

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of the antithesis of civilization.

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So to rid the world of bad
things, wolves top the list.

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[wolf growling]

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I think people are afraid of wolves

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because wolves have a huge
mythology associated with them.

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The fables, the stories of wolves,

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are bigger than the real animal.

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Little Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs,

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the wolf at the door, the
little boy crying wolf.

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Without thinking, people
bring those things

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into their subconscious,

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and that's with no other
experience with the animal,

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that's what they think.

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[gentle music]

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- [Narrator] But our
relationship with the wolf

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wasn't always so negative.

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Thousands of years ago, we
invited wolves into our caves

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as hunting partners and protectors.

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We tamed them, trained them,

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and made them dependent on us.

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The result is the dog, man's best friend.

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[cheerful music]

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[dogs barking]

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[energetic music]

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[lively music]

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[energetic music]

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[lively music]

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[energetic music]

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[lively music]

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[energetic music]

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[lively music]

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[upbeat percussive music]

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Every dog, from the
smallest to the largest,

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is descended from the wolf.

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Today, dogs occupy 44
million American homes.

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We pet, pamper, and parade them around.

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We love our dogs because
they love us unconditionally.

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They're loyal, honest in their emotions,

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and eager to please.

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They don't judge us.

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We have come to love the
dog that was once a wolf,

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but we have yet to accept the wolf

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for not being like the dog.

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[wolves howling]

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- When I hear a wolf hall,

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I think back to the beginning of nature,

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when wolves came on the scene,
and think nothing's changed.

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[wolf howls]

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It's a beautiful sound on top of that,

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and it's a sound that gives me hope

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to know that maybe human
influences on the ecosystem

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aren't gonna ruin it,
aren't gonna take over,

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but there's this animal out
there that we can't control.

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[bright music]

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- [Narrator] When Doug Smith and his team

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released the first 14 wolves
in 1995 and another 17 in 1996,

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the world watched and
wondered if it would work.

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Now there are several hundred wolves

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in the greater Yellowstone area,

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and this ancient spirit is
once again sending a message

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heard throughout the world.

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- I think wolves gone from the world

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would make this a sorry place to live,

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To have a world completely
controlled by humans,

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to have no mystery, to have no questions,

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to not know how things are gonna go,

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that's what the wolf represents.

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And to have a world that's
plazas and parking lots

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and everybody's got what they want,

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there's no mystery, there's no excitement,

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there's no wildness.

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Just think what the world
would be like with no wildness.

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[wolves howling]

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[impressive brass music]

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[waterfall gushing]

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[gentle music]

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[birds chirping]

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- [Narrator] In Yellowstone,

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visitors have a unique opportunity

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to watch a family of wolves
live out their daily lives.

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In Heber City, Utah,
there's a family of humans

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who go about their daily
lives working with wolves.

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- Good boy!

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The epitome of a wild animal.

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The alertness, the
intelligence, the sixth sense,

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the ability to ambiently read
acutely their environment,

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which has been lost to domestic animals.

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Good boy!

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- [Narrator] In the film
industry, animal trainer Doug Seus

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is best known for his work with bears.

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In environmental circles,

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he's admired for founding Vital Ground,

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an organization that acquires

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and protects habitat for wildlife.

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Worldwide, Doug Seus is also recognized

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for his ability to understand
and work with wolves.

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- On your side.

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Oh, good!

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There's a whole mystery about a wolf

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that you need to understand,

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and that only goes through
actually working with them.

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- [Narrator] Unlike bears,
wolves are high energy

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and constantly reading their surroundings.

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More often than not,

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they are several steps
ahead of human thinking.

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- Well, wolves are territorial.
Bears are hierarchal.

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And when I say camera ready,

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if you move that chair in
this particular environment,

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it's critical to the wolf.

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You lock it down before the take.

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The general environment of the bear,

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oh, there's a chair.

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Oh, that chair was here,
but it's there now.

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Up! Good boy!

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[bear roars]

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I like working with independent,
strong-willed animals.

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There's a stability in 'em.

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There's a camaraderie
that you can develop.

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Oh, you're so good.

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Independent animals are strong,

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and in that strength, they're
able to accept correction

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if it's done fairly,

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Come. Go to your point.

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Good boy!

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They may resist it, but
they won't resent it.

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Koda, sit.

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Uh-uh!

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[Dough laughing]

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Oh, how good! You get away with that one.

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That resistance is majesty.

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It's aura, it's stamina, it's
intelligence, it's energy.

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- [Narrator] Much like
the wolves he admires.

[00:16:11.09]
Doug is far from being alone.

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The Seus pack includes Doug's wife, Lynn,

[00:16:15.06]
son, Clint...
- You're trying so hard.

[00:16:19.04]
You're just a little pup.

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- [Narrator] And daughter, Sasha.

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- You are so good!

[00:16:23.03]
- [Narrator] Training
animals for Hollywood

[00:16:25.04]
is definitely a family affair.

[00:16:28.03]
- When we had been
married about six months

[00:16:30.03]
and he went out to get a
dog and brought home a wolf,

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and it was like, "Wow,
honey, that's far out!"

[00:16:36.09]
This was like the '70s, and
so that was the beginning,

[00:16:40.08]
and we've been married 30 years

[00:16:42.08]
and had wild animals in our lives

[00:16:46.01]
even before we had our children,

[00:16:48.06]
So, four-leggeds and two-leggeds.

[00:16:51.09]
- [Narrator] For Sasha,

[00:16:52.09]
recognizing that she wanted to follow

[00:16:54.09]
in her father's footsteps
came early one morning.

[00:16:58.06]
- I woke up one morning,
probably when I was about 20,

[00:17:02.09]
and realized that wolves,

[00:17:06.09]
when they howled and woke
me up in the morning,

[00:17:09.01]
it was more than a cool alarm clock.

[00:17:11.04]
You know what I mean?

[00:17:13.02]
It happened within a day,

[00:17:14.03]
and I realized that I needed
to actually respect and honor

[00:17:21.06]
what was right in my backyard.

[00:17:24.02]
- [Narrator] Realizing that he
wanted to train wild animals

[00:17:26.07]
was a bit more abrupt for Clint.

[00:17:29.04]
Doug simply threw him
in with a bear one day

[00:17:32.01]
and told him to get busy.

[00:17:33.07]
[bear roars]

[00:17:36.02]
- It worked though, because
you gotta feel it in yourself

[00:17:38.07]
and have your own confidence

[00:17:39.09]
and know how to get a
relationship with an animal

[00:17:42.08]
and understand it's more of
a sharing in a friendship

[00:17:47.06]
than it is, you know,
the old lion tamers...

[00:17:50.09]
[Doug mimics whip cracking]

[00:17:51.08]
"Sit," and all that.

[00:17:52.06]
It's when that animal, when
you achieve that behavior

[00:17:55.08]
through the animal and yourself,

[00:17:57.01]
they're as happy as you are.

[00:17:59.00]
And so, after that, you just get together

[00:18:01.01]
and take 'em by the ears,

[00:18:02.01]
"Oh, good boy, good boy!"
and stuff like that,

[00:18:04.04]
and then they're ready, they go back,

[00:18:06.01]
and they go, "Well, come on,
let's do something else."

[00:18:08.02]
All right!

[00:18:09.03]
- [Narrator] Today Clint
has five new wolf pups

[00:18:11.08]
in his charge.

[00:18:13.03]
Legend,

[00:18:14.08]
Shadow,

[00:18:15.09]
Moon,

[00:18:16.09]
Ranger,

[00:18:17.08]
and Spirit,

[00:18:19.02]
are all being introduced
to their traveling crates.

[00:18:22.00]
[playful music]

[00:18:27.05]
- Run fast, pal! Legend!

[00:18:31.05]
Run fast, pal! Good boy!

[00:18:33.01]
Good. In.

[00:18:34.09]
Good boy!

[00:18:35.09]
In.

[00:18:36.07]
Good boy!

[00:18:37.06]
Good boy. In.

[00:18:39.03]
[whistles blowing]

[00:18:41.09]
[playful music]

[00:18:46.00]
- [Narrator] The pups are exposed

[00:18:47.01]
to an array of environmental stresses

[00:18:49.03]
so they'll be prepared for
situations on the movie set.

[00:18:52.06]
Light reflectors, cameras,

[00:18:54.05]
and microphones are all introduced.

[00:19:03.06]
Praise, love, and recognition

[00:19:05.07]
are all used when working with the wolves.

[00:19:09.08]
But there are two words
that are most important

[00:19:12.06]
to Seus' training philosophy.

[00:19:14.07]
- Good boy!
- Good boy!

[00:19:17.05]
- Good boy!

[00:19:19.07]
- [Narrator] More often than not,

[00:19:21.00]
the teacher becomes the student.

[00:19:23.02]
- I believe the biggest thing
that wolves have taught me

[00:19:27.01]
would be patience.

[00:19:29.04]
They've taught me how to love completely.

[00:19:33.09]
The wolves that I work
with on a daily basis

[00:19:36.05]
are capable of love, they're
capable of compassion,

[00:19:41.06]
they're capable of
understanding, and of giving.

[00:19:50.06]
- And then do a look.

[00:19:52.06]
- [Narrator] The wolves
trained by the Seus family

[00:19:54.07]
have appeared in movies like "White Fang,"

[00:19:57.06]
in numerous television commercials,

[00:19:59.06]
and many magazine articles.

[00:20:01.07]
Coda is a cover boy for
National Geographic.

[00:20:05.07]
- That's when you
appreciate their abilities.

[00:20:09.02]
A wolf that will stand for
three hours of still photos

[00:20:12.04]
for National Geographic with
a little dog up on a pedestal.

[00:20:16.00]
You take that time,

[00:20:16.09]
you really appreciate
how intelligent they are,

[00:20:19.09]
how mysterious they are,
how sensitive they are.

[00:20:23.04]
Coda is my favorite wolf of the adults.

[00:20:26.02]
Outgoing, loves everybody,
stable in any environment,

[00:20:30.05]
loves every wolf, calm, confident.

[00:20:34.00]
[wolf pup yipping]

[00:20:34.09]
He'll pull you through,

[00:20:36.05]
he'll work you through any situation.

[00:20:39.01]
He helps you. He guides you.

[00:20:43.09]
Coda is a great teacher.

[00:20:46.06]
- What is this?

[00:20:48.02]
What is this?

[00:20:49.06]
- [Narrator] With Clint and Sasha

[00:20:51.00]
poised to someday run the business,

[00:20:53.05]
the Seuses will continue to learn

[00:20:55.03]
from the wolves who share their lives.

[00:20:57.09]
And if they could make sure

[00:20:59.02]
that the wolves could understand them,

[00:21:01.07]
this is what they'd say.

[00:21:04.09]
- I really do love 'em.

[00:21:07.07]
[Doug chuckles]

[00:21:10.00]
They're such a integral part.

[00:21:15.00]
[gentle music]

[00:21:19.06]
- I would thank them.

[00:21:24.00]
[Sasha cries softly]

[00:21:24.09]
I would thank them for...

[00:21:31.04]
for being there when I needed them, for...

[00:21:36.04]
for understanding, and for the honest love

[00:21:42.04]
that they show somebody.

[00:21:44.02]
I would thank them for their spirits.

[00:21:51.05]
[Sasha chuckles softly]

[00:21:57.00]
[wolf howls]
[grand music]

[00:22:09.07]
- [Narrator] Wolf re-introduction

[00:22:10.08]
in Yellowstone National Park

[00:22:12.04]
has been more successful
than anyone ever imagined.

[00:22:16.02]
For those who study wolves,

[00:22:17.08]
it's providing the best
wolf watching in the world.

[00:22:23.03]
- Here we can see them playing,
we can see them hunting,

[00:22:26.04]
we can see them making kills,

[00:22:28.02]
we can see them interacting
with grizzly bears,

[00:22:31.05]
so it really is the ideal situation

[00:22:34.05]
to watch and study wolves.

[00:22:41.01]
- [Narrator] Since their release in 1995,

[00:22:43.05]
wolf researcher Rick
McIntyre has been documenting

[00:22:46.05]
the daily lives of a wolf
family known as the Druid Pack.

[00:22:51.00]
He works from dawn to dusk.

[00:22:54.00]
His car serves as his traveling office.

[00:22:57.02]
His territory: the roads and
pull-offs of Lamar Valley

[00:23:00.08]
in Northeastern Yellowstone.

[00:23:03.02]
The tools of his trade:
telemetry, binoculars,

[00:23:06.08]
a radio and a scope.

[00:23:09.03]
His vacation schedule: nonexistent.

[00:23:12.06]
His entourage: wolf watchers
from all over the world.

[00:23:17.01]
[exciting music]

[00:23:17.09]
They know that Rick knows
where the wolves are.

[00:23:38.07]
- I guess my attitude is
I just don't wanna miss

[00:23:41.06]
anything that's happening out there.

[00:23:43.08]
In a way, maybe it'd
almost be like a parent

[00:23:46.03]
that would never wanna miss anything

[00:23:48.00]
that their child is involved in,

[00:23:50.00]
whether it's a soccer
game or a school play.

[00:23:53.06]
They sincerely wanna be with
their kids as much as possible.

[00:23:57.05]
They just don't wanna miss anything.

[00:23:59.06]
So in a way, that's kinda how I feel.

[00:24:03.00]
- [Narrator] Rick has studied wolves

[00:24:04.02]
for over a quarter century.

[00:24:06.02]
He's well known for his research

[00:24:07.08]
in Alaska's Denali National Park,

[00:24:09.09]
where he considered himself lucky

[00:24:11.08]
to have two or three wolf
sightings in an entire summer.

[00:24:16.02]
Here in Yellowstone,
he has had over 27,000.

[00:24:20.04]
No one has spent more time

[00:24:22.06]
in the company of wolves in the wild.

[00:24:25.00]
- I'm trying to watch the
wolves day by day, week by week,

[00:24:29.01]
and hopefully year by year,

[00:24:31.04]
just to document what their lives are like

[00:24:34.07]
on a continuous basis.

[00:24:37.01]
I'm trying to to see the big picture.

[00:24:41.00]
- [Narrator] One of the reasons
wolves survive so well here

[00:24:44.04]
is that Yellowstone provides
an all-you-can-eat buffet.

[00:24:49.04]
However, learning how to
catch dinner on the hoof

[00:24:53.02]
is quite another matter.

[00:24:55.07]
Visitors watch as some young
wolves try to figure it out.

[00:24:59.00]
[thrilling music]

[00:25:01.07]
The youngsters decide
to go after a bull elk,

[00:25:04.07]
seemingly forgetting there is
a reason wolves hunt in packs.

[00:25:08.01]
[record skipping]

[00:25:09.02]
The elk appears to find
the chase almost laughable.

[00:25:13.05]
Giving up, you can almost hear
the young wolves thinking,

[00:25:17.01]
"Well, that didn't
work. What do we do now?

[00:25:19.08]
[thrilling music]

[00:25:23.06]
Let's go after some prong
horn. They look tasty."

[00:25:27.05]
Then, a bit short of breath,

[00:25:29.00]
the wolves seem to remember that pronghorn

[00:25:31.06]
are the fastest land
animal in North America.

[00:25:34.09]
[thrilling music]

[00:25:36.09]
Another teenage wolf decides
a baby buffalo might be tasty.

[00:25:41.04]
After all, they're short and slow.

[00:25:43.05]
[record skipping]

[00:25:45.01]
Oh yeah, forgot about mom.

[00:25:47.04]
I guess it's rodent
roundup for dinner again.

[00:25:49.08]
[thrilling music]

[00:25:59.02]
- I think one of the thing to emphasize

[00:26:01.04]
would be the issue of how
dangerous their lives are.

[00:26:06.00]
Every day that they're going out

[00:26:07.06]
to try to earn their living
and to feed their family.

[00:26:10.07]
They face the very real possibility

[00:26:15.05]
of death or serious injury.

[00:26:19.09]
- [Narrator] Wolves are
well designed for survival.

[00:26:22.07]
Their stealth, stamina and acute senses

[00:26:26.00]
serve them well in the hunt.

[00:26:28.04]
Long legs allow them to
travel great distances.

[00:26:32.00]
Their feet are nearly twice the
size of a dog of equal size,

[00:26:35.07]
making it easy for them
to traverse in snow.

[00:26:39.03]
Their brains are 30% larger
than their canine cousins.

[00:26:43.09]
Even with these advantages,

[00:26:45.05]
some research shows that
only one in 35 attempts

[00:26:49.00]
result in a meal for the wolves.

[00:26:51.08]
But when a kill is made,
nothing goes to waste.

[00:26:55.08]
Everyone in the pack has a share,

[00:26:57.09]
whether they hunted or not,

[00:26:59.08]
although a place in the
chow line might be disputed.

[00:27:03.03]
- I'm very impressed with not only

[00:27:05.01]
how they get along so well,

[00:27:07.04]
but how they have their own social system

[00:27:10.01]
that for the most part
really deals with disputes

[00:27:13.06]
in a way that's very practical,

[00:27:16.00]
a lot more practical than what
most people are able to do.

[00:27:20.02]
[fire roaring]
[somber music]

[00:27:26.00]
- [Narrator] Just as the fires of 1988

[00:27:28.00]
changed the face of Yellowstone
forever, so have wolves.

[00:27:32.06]
During our time on Earth together,

[00:27:34.04]
few species have had so profound an impact

[00:27:37.04]
on their natural worlds
as wolves and humans.

[00:27:41.07]
Science shows us that wolves

[00:27:43.07]
are a benefit to the
ecosystems they inhabit.

[00:27:47.00]
Unfortunately, history shows
us that human beings are not.

[00:27:51.08]
Long ago we passed judgment on the wolf.

[00:27:55.04]
Were we wrong?

[00:27:57.08]
- Well, in a way that's
a very emotional thing

[00:28:00.06]
to think about because
I've done a lot of research

[00:28:04.05]
in terms of historically

[00:28:06.00]
what human beings have done to wolves,

[00:28:09.08]
and so I think the first thing
I'd do would be to apologize.

[00:28:15.08]
[gentle music]

[00:28:20.01]
[bright music]

[00:28:29.00]
- [Narrator] It's February
and well below zero

[00:28:31.01]
in northern Minnesota,

[00:28:32.06]
a day some would say is fit
for neither man nor beast.

[00:28:37.01]
Yet here is a man, and there is evidence

[00:28:40.05]
that the beast is close by.

[00:28:44.09]
- [Photographer] Winter
time is when I do like

[00:28:46.03]
to do most of my work,

[00:28:47.05]
and I have to lug this heavy
camera equipment around.

[00:28:51.05]
And it's not easy,

[00:28:54.04]
but following the wolf, that
has been my lifelong fantasy.

[00:29:00.03]
I don't always photograph them,

[00:29:03.00]
but I love to be around them.

[00:29:06.01]
- [Narrator] Photographer Jim Brandenburg

[00:29:07.09]
has spent over 30 years in
the company of wild wolves.

[00:29:11.08]
One of the world's
best-known photographers,

[00:29:14.01]
Jim's work has graced the cover

[00:29:15.09]
of National Geographic many times.

[00:29:21.09]
His books can be found on the shelves

[00:29:23.07]
of nature lovers everywhere.

[00:29:25.07]
His fascination with the wolf
revolves around his interest

[00:29:29.00]
in the ancient relationship
between wolves and humans,

[00:29:32.06]
when we were partners in
the struggle to survive.

[00:29:36.05]
- But I believe that way back,

[00:29:39.04]
oh, many, many thousands of years ago,

[00:29:44.00]
the wolf actually was a crucial
element in man's evolution.

[00:29:49.03]
Think of the advantage of having that wolf

[00:29:52.03]
as a hunting companion

[00:29:53.03]
when all you had was a bow and arrow.

[00:29:55.01]
I think if you want to call
it technology of a sense,

[00:29:58.02]
it's like a heat-seeking missile.

[00:30:01.00]
And your ability to eat more, sleep more

[00:30:03.06]
because you have a guard dog

[00:30:06.00]
allows you to have more
protein to develop your brain,

[00:30:09.09]
you have more sleep,

[00:30:11.02]
which clearly shows you can
develop your intelligence more.

[00:30:15.03]
I think when we look at wolves carefully,

[00:30:17.09]
they really mirror our social structure.

[00:30:20.02]
There's a family size
that's about the same size

[00:30:22.06]
as our family size, three
to 10 animals for a pack.

[00:30:27.06]
They weigh about the same as we do.

[00:30:29.04]
They tend to mate for life.

[00:30:30.09]
The aunts and the uncles and the kids

[00:30:32.04]
all take care of the babies.

[00:30:34.03]
They're very, very tightly knit,

[00:30:36.08]
sophisticated social structure
compared to most animals.

[00:30:39.06]
They're not much different
than the primates.

[00:30:42.00]
They're more devoted.

[00:30:43.04]
[curious music]

[00:30:51.02]
- [Narrator] For decades,

[00:30:52.00]
Jim's encounters with wild
wolves were only fleeting.

[00:30:55.09]
Finally, his passion
to capture great images

[00:30:59.00]
drove him to Ellesmere
Island in the high Arctic.

[00:31:03.02]
Here, the wolves had no
experience with humans

[00:31:06.01]
and therefore no fear.

[00:31:09.08]
Jim packed up his camera and his pen.

[00:31:13.06]
The result was one of
the most personal stories

[00:31:16.01]
ever written about wolves,

[00:31:18.01]
a book called "White Wolf:
Living with an Arctic Legend."

[00:31:22.08]
[camera shutter clicks]

[00:31:24.02]
on Ellesmere, Jim was able to
do what few have ever done.

[00:31:28.01]
He lived with a family of wild wolves,

[00:31:30.08]
getting to know their
individual personalities.

[00:31:33.07]
[camera shutter clicks]

[00:31:34.06]
- Buster's named after my dad.

[00:31:36.04]
He was a regal wolf. He reminded
me of my dad. [chuckles]

[00:31:40.04]
This wolf was very in charge.

[00:31:43.07]
[camera shutter clicks]

[00:31:44.06]
He was a father of the puppies.

[00:31:46.03]
[camera shutter clicks]

[00:31:48.00]
Mom was the most tolerant.
She reminded me of my mother.

[00:31:52.02]
Mom was the most gentle,

[00:31:54.06]
the most tolerant, beautiful creature

[00:31:57.05]
and a great mother to the pups.

[00:32:01.03]
Scruffy was a besheveled,

[00:32:05.02]
kind of a goofy teenage type wolf to me.

[00:32:09.06]
Scruffy was the babysitter of the pups.

[00:32:12.00]
The pack evidently didn't
trust Scruffy on the hunt,

[00:32:14.08]
but they trusted Scruffy to watch the pups

[00:32:16.09]
when they were gone.

[00:32:19.07]
And the white wolves that
I met changed my life,

[00:32:23.08]
and it was the greatest
assignment I've ever had.

[00:32:28.08]
And I'll never repeat it.

[00:32:32.07]
- [Narrator] Jim's three-decade
relationship with the wolf

[00:32:35.02]
has allowed him to witness
many different behaviors.

[00:32:38.04]
One of the most interesting is wolf play.

[00:32:41.04]
- Some of the research recently has shown

[00:32:44.01]
that play is very important to animals

[00:32:48.05]
and people, of course,

[00:32:49.05]
but the more intelligent the animal,

[00:32:52.00]
oftentimes the more play
there's involved with it.

[00:32:55.05]
- [Narrator] If wolf play
resembles a human game of sport,

[00:32:58.09]
it might be because there are
similarities between the two.

[00:33:02.04]
Wolves compete over an object
with no intrinsic value

[00:33:05.08]
except as a trophy.

[00:33:08.01]
The wolf who carries the trophy,

[00:33:10.01]
in this case a small tuft of deer hair,

[00:33:12.09]
uses diversionary tactics

[00:33:14.06]
such as feigning in one
direction and going in another.

[00:33:18.01]
Just like the tactics of a
football team, they plan ahead,

[00:33:21.04]
work together, and react instantaneously

[00:33:24.00]
to each twist and turn.

[00:33:26.05]
The rules of the game?

[00:33:28.02]
First, make sure your
buddies know its play

[00:33:30.09]
and not aggression.

[00:33:32.06]
The play bow is the clearest signal.

[00:33:36.05]
[playful music]

[00:33:40.01]
Other than its own pack members.

[00:33:42.00]
The wolf's most notable
associate is certainly the raven.

[00:33:46.03]
- I think one of the
greatest stories in nature

[00:33:48.01]
is the wolf-raven relationship,

[00:33:50.00]
in that how important
they are to each other.

[00:33:54.09]
They love the wolves.

[00:33:55.07]
[raven caws]

[00:33:56.05]
But the ravens are smarter.

[00:33:58.05]
And I don't know what the wolves
would do without the ravens

[00:34:01.01]
or the ravens would do without the wolves.

[00:34:02.05]
There's an amazing symbiotic relationship.

[00:34:06.00]
[raven cawing]

[00:34:06.08]
- [Narrator] When the
ravens spot a wounded animal

[00:34:08.08]
or a carcass, they alert the wolves.

[00:34:12.00]
The ravens need the wolves
to kill and open up the prey.

[00:34:16.00]
The wolves need the ravens to tell them

[00:34:18.00]
where the wounded animal or carcass is.

[00:34:20.08]
[delicate music]

[00:34:24.08]
Although he has photographed
all over the world,

[00:34:27.03]
Jim's best known wolf image
was captured right here

[00:34:30.06]
in his own backyard.

[00:34:33.00]
- I liked the picture, but
I didn't think it was great.

[00:34:35.08]
And over the years it's kind
of gained a sense of momentum

[00:34:39.08]
where it probably speaks of the wolf,

[00:34:42.05]
maybe the wolf and man's relationship.

[00:34:45.07]
And I really do believe
that the relationship

[00:34:48.01]
of man and wolf goes back
so far and is so deep

[00:34:52.04]
that it stirs something within us.

[00:34:54.04]
[camera shutter clicks]

[00:34:57.04]
- [Narrator] By capturing
images frozen in time,

[00:35:00.00]
in this frozen place,

[00:35:02.00]
Jim Brandenburg has provided the world

[00:35:04.01]
with an intimate glimpse
into the lives of wolves.

[00:35:07.04]
The wolves in turn have
captivated Jim's life

[00:35:10.04]
for all time to come.

[00:35:12.06]
He has a message for his brother wolf.

[00:35:18.05]
- I would tell the wolf,
"Thank you, brother wolf,

[00:35:23.07]
for all these thousands
of years of assisting man

[00:35:28.05]
to become the creature that he is."

[00:35:31.00]
[solemn music]

[00:35:34.02]
It's a forgotten promise.

[00:35:36.05]
Way, way back, thousands of
years ago, the wolf helped us,

[00:35:41.04]
and I'd like to apologize

[00:35:43.09]
and thank the wolf for
what it's done for mankind.

[00:35:50.03]
[wolf howls]

[00:35:56.08]
[water babbling]

[00:36:00.00]
[birds squawking]

[00:36:03.00]
[eagle screeches]

[00:36:05.02]
- [Narrator] According to the legends

[00:36:06.09]
of the American Indian,

[00:36:08.04]
animals are regarded as spiritual beings

[00:36:10.09]
who guide us on our Earth journeys.

[00:36:13.08]
Through the eagle, many
Native Americans believe,

[00:36:16.06]
we obtain great wisdom.

[00:36:19.01]
The bear allows us to
look within ourselves.

[00:36:22.07]
The spirit of the buffalo makes
sure our prayers are heard.

[00:36:27.00]
Raven shows us the power of magic.

[00:36:30.01]
Wolf is the great teacher.

[00:36:33.01]
The wolf guides people to live their lives

[00:36:35.03]
as the creator wants us to.

[00:36:37.08]
For the northern Arapaho,

[00:36:39.04]
the wolf is the wisest and most sacred

[00:36:41.09]
of all animal spirits.

[00:36:44.03]
[enthusiastic music]

[00:36:51.07]
- We pattern everything after him,

[00:36:53.06]
his intelligence as a
hunter or an aggressor,

[00:36:57.08]
even his domestic life, his
everyday life as a wolf,

[00:37:02.04]
taking care of his family and his home,

[00:37:05.08]
and a provider and a protector.

[00:37:09.04]
[enthusiastic music]

[00:37:12.01]
- Mark Soldier Wolf is tribal
leader and medicine man

[00:37:15.03]
for the Northern Arapaho Wolf Society.

[00:37:18.03]
Much like the wolfs,

[00:37:19.03]
the Arapaho watched their numbers dwindle

[00:37:21.05]
as they were banished from
their native territory.

[00:37:25.01]
Mark's family has lived on
this land in central Wyoming

[00:37:28.04]
since the mid 1800s.

[00:37:30.03]
[emphatic music]

[00:37:34.01]
[Mark speaking in foreign language]

[00:37:37.09]
The Arapaho have no written language.

[00:37:40.08]
For thousands of years, their
history, stories, and legends

[00:37:44.05]
have all been memorized and handed down

[00:37:47.01]
from generation to generation.

[00:37:49.07]
- It all started during the Ice Age

[00:37:52.06]
toward the end of its Ice Age.

[00:37:55.02]
That's when all these stories came about.

[00:37:59.00]
Like the man and the wolf
meeting in a blizzard

[00:38:02.04]
or in a storm, and how the
man and the wolf got together,

[00:38:08.02]
and the wolf showed him how to hunt.

[00:38:11.04]
- [Narrator] In those times,
man and wolf were partners.

[00:38:15.00]
But when hunting and gathering evolved

[00:38:17.00]
into farming and raising livestock,

[00:38:19.04]
forests were converted into fields.

[00:38:22.04]
The wolf's prey vanished.

[00:38:24.06]
Wolves started hunting livestock.

[00:38:27.03]
People started hunting wolves.

[00:38:30.02]
Every European nation
declared war on wolves

[00:38:33.03]
until none remained.

[00:38:35.05]
When Europeans came to America,

[00:38:37.06]
they brought their hatred
of wolves with them,

[00:38:40.06]
but the native people of North America

[00:38:42.03]
had a very different view.

[00:38:44.04]
To the Native American, the
wolf is not to be feared.

[00:38:48.00]
He is respected and admired
for his intelligence,

[00:38:51.03]
fierceness, cleverness,
and devotion to his family.

[00:38:55.07]
It is through the wolf,
the Arapaho believe,

[00:38:58.00]
that we learn the greater lessons of life.

[00:39:00.09]
The wolf is the mediator

[00:39:02.05]
between this world and the spirit world.

[00:39:05.04]
- He's one of the greatest teachers

[00:39:07.00]
that this Great Spirit sent to us.

[00:39:10.09]
An his role in this natural world,

[00:39:14.03]
these forests and these
rivers and these hills,

[00:39:19.09]
he is the one that controls

[00:39:23.00]
or takes care of these other animals,

[00:39:25.07]
like the deer and the elk and the rabbits,

[00:39:30.00]
and he's the one that
watches over these animals.

[00:39:36.00]
- [Narrator] Mark Soldier Wolf

[00:39:37.00]
will someday pass tribal
leadership to his son Anon.

[00:39:40.07]
In his journey to become leader,

[00:39:43.04]
Anon has earned every part
of the regalia he wears,

[00:39:47.00]
including the wolf hide
on top of his head.

[00:39:50.03]
The role of the wolf
is as important to him

[00:39:53.00]
as holy water and the
cross are to a Catholic.

[00:39:56.00]
[impressive music]

[00:40:03.00]
- If somebody told me,
"Well, you profess to say

[00:40:06.00]
that you like wolves,

[00:40:07.01]
but yet you wear a dead one on your head,"

[00:40:10.01]
yes, I do wear a dead one, but it's me.

[00:40:13.08]
It's a part of who I am.
It's part of what I do,

[00:40:17.03]
it's part of my religion.

[00:40:21.00]
And it's part of me through blood

[00:40:25.02]
and through the way I think,

[00:40:27.09]
because he is my brother,
and I carry him so high

[00:40:33.00]
that he rides on my
head or on my shoulders.

[00:40:37.09]
And I show the world
what this wolf looks like

[00:40:40.05]
and what he means and what he's
trying to tell these people.

[00:40:45.00]
He's not an animal, he's not a human,

[00:40:47.08]
he is a being, he is a spirit,

[00:40:51.00]
and that's what counts
more, is that spirit.

[00:40:54.06]
[Native Americans chanting and drumming]

[00:40:57.09]
- [Narrator] When wolves
returned to Yellowstone in 1995,

[00:41:01.04]
the Soldier Wolf family welcomed them back

[00:41:03.07]
with a sacred wolf dance

[00:41:05.03]
that had not been
performed in over 50 years.

[00:41:09.01]
[Native Americans chanting and drumming]

[00:41:11.06]
- I think the wolf coming
back to Yellowstone

[00:41:15.00]
is one of the greatest things
that has ever happened,

[00:41:20.08]
not only to the American
Indian but for everybody.

[00:41:24.04]
- [Narrator] Native
American cultures believe

[00:41:26.03]
that we belong in nature,
not apart from it.

[00:41:30.07]
Perhaps the most precious gift

[00:41:32.04]
the Arapaho and the wolf can give us

[00:41:34.08]
is to remind us that we
all occupy the same planet.

[00:41:38.08]
If the wolf no longer finds the world

[00:41:41.01]
a fit place in which to
live, neither will we.

[00:41:47.04]
- To understand and repair
this friendship with the wolf,

[00:41:52.05]
these people must first
understand themselves,

[00:41:58.04]
who they are, where they come from,

[00:42:01.00]
and they must also understand their soul

[00:42:04.06]
and why they're put here.

[00:42:07.06]
To understand nature and
to understand the wolf

[00:42:13.06]
and all these different animals,

[00:42:15.08]
you must first understand this world,

[00:42:18.01]
and you must understand the nature,

[00:42:20.05]
the trees, the wind, and the water,

[00:42:23.07]
because without understanding where these

[00:42:27.01]
fit into your life, daily life,

[00:42:32.02]
you can't fully understand this wolf

[00:42:34.09]
or understand how you would
make that relationship.

[00:42:39.09]
- [Narrator] There is no word

[00:42:41.00]
in the Arapaho language for goodbye.

[00:42:44.02]
Just as Mark and Anon refuse

[00:42:46.02]
to let their native culture die,

[00:42:48.05]
they will never accept the extinction

[00:42:50.07]
of their ancient brother.

[00:42:53.00]
- I don't think this
wolf will ever be gone.

[00:42:56.01]
To me, he'll never go extinct.

[00:42:58.06]
[thrilling music]

[00:43:13.08]
[eagle screeches]

[00:43:15.03]
[wolf howls]

[00:43:27.05]
[energetic drumming]

[00:43:36.09]
- A Coast Salish chief
named Dan George once said,

[00:43:41.00]
"If you talk to the animals,
they will talk with you,

[00:43:44.08]
and you will know each other.

[00:43:48.00]
If you do not talk to them,
you will not know them,

[00:43:52.08]
and what you do not know, you will fear.

[00:43:58.04]
What one fears, one destroys."

[00:44:02.07]
[dramatic singing]

[00:44:14.09]
- If I could speak to my brother wolf,

[00:44:17.03]
the only thing I'd probably
ever tell him is "Ha ho.

[00:44:22.08]
Thank you for everything
that you've given me so far,

[00:44:26.07]
and thank you for what you have taught me,

[00:44:29.09]
and especially thank you very much

[00:44:33.02]
for understanding who I am."

[00:44:36.09]
[wolf howls]

[00:44:45.09]
[traditional Native America music]

[00:44:53.06]
- If we couldn't have
restored wolves to Yellowstone

[00:44:57.04]
as one of the wealthiest
countries in the world,

[00:45:00.05]
what kind of message would
that have sent to other nations

[00:45:05.04]
who struggle with their economies

[00:45:07.05]
and at the same time struggle
with their wildlife issues?

[00:45:10.09]
[elephant trumpets]

[00:45:14.05]
It's what does this mean to
people trying to restore tigers,

[00:45:18.02]
or rhinoceros, or exotic birds,

[00:45:22.06]
when those animals need resources?

[00:45:26.00]
If there's room for a wolf here,

[00:45:28.02]
that sends a message that there's room

[00:45:29.07]
for other animals elsewhere.

[00:45:31.04]
It's much bigger than just

[00:45:32.07]
the Yellowstone ecosystem and wolves.

[00:45:35.03]
We have to think about what
message we send as Americans

[00:45:40.03]
to other peoples in other countries.

[00:45:46.03]
[wolf howls]

[00:45:54.09]
[enthusiastic music]