Educational Media Reviews Online

“During our time on earth together, few species have had so profound an impact on their natural worlds as wolves and humans. Science shows us that wolves are a benefit to ecosystems they inhabit. Unfortunately, history shows us that human beings are not.” Peter Coyote, Narrator

The spectacular success of the reintroduction of the gray wolf to Yellowstone National Park is beautifully captured in this historical documentary that celebrates the wolf’s majesty and mystery and gives those who revile his prowess and predation much food for thought. Since their reintroduction in 1995, their numbers have increased from 31 to several hundred, they have established control over the coyote and rodent populations allowing more food for Elk and other large animals, the flora has rebounded, and the entire ecosystem is coming back into balance.

The wolf’s image as magnificent or malevolent depends on your ancestry, livelihood, and knowledge of Canis lupus. To the Northern Arapaho Indians of Wyoming and other Native Americans, the wolf is the wisest and most sacred of animal spirits. To ranchers and pack outfitters in Montana, the wolf is a cancer. To researchers and wolf watchers who track and observe wolves, the return of the howling packs corrected a long-standing wrong. To the average person descended from European ancestors, the wolf is shrouded in mystery, fear and misunderstanding.

As the subtitle implies, the filmmakers present the wolf as revered in Native American culture using breathtaking photography, historical photographs, interviews, and narrative script. As with all conflicts between humans and animals, the situation is as complicated as the individual natures of the parties involved. Although staunch wolf opponents (ranchers and outfitters) are given air time, their voices are weakened by their allegations of loss of liberty and livelihood when compared with the loss of an original species and the alteration of an entire ecosystem.

The film begins with sounds of a wolf howling and Native American singing coupled with larger than life images of wolves, Indians, and Yellowstone. A powerful message is delivered as we watch various animals awaken in the park: “this whole community of creatures must sharpen their survival skills if they expect to see another sunrise” (Peter Coyote, narrator).

Doug Smith, wolf biologist with the Yellowstone Grey Wolf Restoration Project, talks about the wolf’s role in its ecosystem as the top carnivore whose numbers, social structure, activity, and existence affect all other living things both plant and animal.

Long before we sought to understand the role of the wolf, our inherited fear drove us to eradicate them from Yellowstone by 1926. The centuries-old “bad guy” image of the wolf as a mythological demon was carried down from the days of bubonic plague, when wolves were observed eating the dead, and our ancestors huddled in the dark fearful of the wolf’s howl. We trapped, poisoned, burned, shot, and literally ripped wolves apart allegedly so that “good” animals like elk and other large game could flourish.

On the other hand, thousands of years ago we invited wolves to be our hunting partners and eventually turned them into our beloved dog breeds. At some point, we recognized their valuable companionship and utility, and strengthened our bond with them. “Yet, we have yet to accept the wolf for not being like dog” (Peter Coyote, narrator).

We celebrate the wolf through the eyes of Doug and Lynn Seus and their children Clint and Sausha, a Heber City, Utah family renowned for their ability to understand the species. They train wolves for Hollywood movies (like “White Fang”) and commercials. The emotional testimonials of the Seus’s, while obviously biased, are a compelling testament to the wolf’s majestic image.

The viewer joins wolf watchers who are Rick McIntyre’s entourage as he continues his lifelong work of documenting the wolves’ daily lives in Yellowstone’s northeastern Lamar Valley. The film beautifully choreographs music with the activities of wolf mothers playing with their pups, and the young wolves’ failures as they learn to hunt, in order to connect humans with the realities of a wolf’s dangerous and precarious existence. The beauty of the pack and its social system, which ensures every part of their prey is shared and used, is a lesson in practicality and survival. In fact Jim Brandenburg, a Northern Minnesota photographer of wild wolves for over 30 years, believes the wolf was a crucial element in man’s evolution because their role as a hunting companion and guard gave human’s more protein and more sleep.

It isn’t surprising, then, that one of the central messages of this work is the Native American view of humans as an integral part of and connected to nature and thus to the wolf. Although the Arapaho have no written language, their stories are told by Mark Soldier-Wolf and his son Anan. They see the wolf as a great teacher, and believe that human social structure is patterned after the pack. It was only after Europeans turned to agriculture and livestock that the wolf became hated.

Overall the film’s inspirational impact is impressive. The video and audio are magnificent and skillfully edited for maximum impact. The use of the Native American cultural context as a mechanism to inspire those who may view the wolf in a negative light is effective, although the lengthy Onondaga commentary toward the end may inure the viewer to some extent.

A valid though brief observation made toward the end of the film is one worth pursuing: this successful restoration of a species to their natural ecosystem sends a strong message to other countries struggling with their own ecological issues. And it is no surprise that included in the “special thank you" list is Canis lupus.

Highly recommended for junior high, high school, college, university, and public library collections. Essential in biology, ecology, zoology, and environmental studies programs.

Awards:

• 5 EMMY Awards
• Best of Category, EarthVision Enviromental Film Festival

  Other Resources:
  National Geographic produced a video in 1999 entitled Wolves - A Legend Returns to Yellowstone produced by Bob Landis featuring Doug Smith and the Druid Peak Pack, and aired on PBS. The National Park Service (NPS) web site for Yellowstone offers free video clips of wolf observations filmed in 2004 by Bob Landis. Wolftracker.com markets a two-video set: Predation: Yellowstone Wolves and Return of the Yellowstone Wolf. Wolfology.com has an incredible wealth of information on wolves, including a list of over 40 videos about wolves, 5 of which are specifically about the reintroduction project. Readers who wish to pursue the Arapaho thread may be interested in Wolf Nation, 1995. 30 minutes. Mystic Fire Video, Inc., PO Box 422, New York, NY 10012.