Less than 500 miles from
the North Pole
lies Canada's most distant frontier
Ellesmere island.
It takes a special kind of
animal to survive here.
This is one the arctic wolf.
These hunters of the high Arctic
have little fear of man.
They roam this frozen wilderness
beyond reach of the superstition,
hatred and mistrust we have
heaped upon their kind.
Now, these wolves and men have met
and the encounter has revealed some
of the truth about these animals' lives.
Unlike wolves in other parts
of the world,
these creatures live so far away
from towns and cities
that they have never been
hunted or persecuted.
Ellesmere is an island surrounded
by pack ice most of the year,
a harsh land about
the size of Nebraska.
Only someone with a passion for
wolves would dream of tracking
them into this desolate land.
One such person is photographer
Jim Brandenburg.
He has been here before,
on assignment for
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine.
Now the wolves have lured him back.
Wolves have always been a
favorite animal of mine.
And I suppose one of the reasons
they're my favorite animals is
because they're so intelligent
that intelligence makes it nearly
impossible to film them
in a more conventional place,
say in the forested areas.
And for some reason
these Arctic wolves
have got a quality about them
where they tolerated us very well,
and it became clear that
it would make a wonderful story.
The spring sunlight illuminates
a world released from
the long months of high Arctic winter.
The polar bears patrol once again,
but they are little threat
to the wolves here,
since they rarely move far
from the sea.
The wolves are more likely
to chase them,
according to Dave Mech,
a wolf biologist with
He came here with Jim Brandenburg
to observe the pack and its den.
It was a dream come true for me to
finally get to Ellesmere Island.
I had known about the wolves
there for about 20 years.
But I never thought I'd ever
have a chance to work with them.
Everywhere else in the world wolves
have been so persecuted that
they're extremely afraid of humans.
And once can't get close enough
to them to watch them.
The area is so remote they're
basically unafraid of humans.
For the first time,
Mech can watch from close up
as a wolf pays homage
to its pack leaders,
known as the
Alpha Male and the Alpha Female.
The hierarchy of the group
who dominates whom is reflected
in body language and actions.
By observing and analyzing
the wolves behavior,
scientists like Mech and understand the
social structure of the family unit.
To learn what I wanted
I knew I had to find the den,
The shelter where the wolves have
their pups for a couple of months
of the year in the summer.
There's only one such den in
about 1,000 square miles,
so it took a long time to find it.
Actually, I spent a solid week
searching for it and was elated
when I finally was able to locate it.
There's very few such suitable dens
around in this region
because of the pervasive permafrost
which prevents the wolves from digging.
Having found the den,
it was really clear to me
why the wolves had chosen the sight.
It was a beautiful rock cave at the
end of a long ridge overlooking
a wide valley with a stream
flowing down the middle.
And the wolves could look out in
every direction for many miles.
What Dave and Jim are about to
observe and film in the short
Arctic summer would give them
a unique experience.
They knew they had the possibility of
living in the midst of this wild pack,
almost becoming part of it.
They found themselves amazingly
close to "Mon", as they called her,
as she took her pups out,
probably fro the first time.
These were not the mindless killers
of fiction and fable.
Finally, the men could begin to
record the real story of these animals.
Film making is an involved process
lots of equipment,
lots of boxes of lenses and cameras.
In a remote location like this,
especially, we need backup equipment.
So we need extra beyond the normal.
The wolves had picked the perfect den
and we did try to
find the perfect campsite.
We wanted to be close enough to the
wolf den to keep an eye on it,
yet not too close to
put pressure on the pack
and the daily activity of
rearing the pups.
Again, one of the reasons I respect
wolves so much is you can't fool them.
As a wildlife photographer
you learn very quickly
techniques that you can use to
sneak up on animals.
Either using a hide or a blind,
or long lenses.
In such difficult terrain,
teamwork is essential.
We were able to work quite well
together because of the fact that
both of us needed the same thing.
To photograph wolves or to observe
them you've got to get close.
The main thing we had to watch out for
was just that we didn't disturb them.
With this kind of light, Dave,
I think we'll have to
get a little closer.
It's awfully murky and heavy light.
Yeah, I think we can do it.
They don't show any sign of
being disturbed now.
If Mom is like last year she'll
be quite tolerant.
Yeah, but we can't take a chance.
It might not even be her.
Right.
Let's just go slowly at first.
There's nowhere to hide in this
barren landscape,
and the wolves see or sense
anything that moves.
Mom knows the men are there
but tolerates their careful,
patient approach.
The pups were born in May;
now five weeks old,
they are constantly exploring.
For Dave Mech,
this unusually intimate view provided
important new information.
Already the benefits of watching
the wolves so close up
became apparent when I was
able to see them nursing.
I could determine how long the pups
nursed at each bout,
how many bouts there were each day,
and then watch this progress
throughout the summer
until finally weaning took place.
Although it's almost midsummer,
the day is freezing cold
A new experience for the pups.
They spent the first weeks
of life in the den,
sheltered by their mother's warmth.
Luckily, there are places to
get away from the chilling wind.
The pups are a picture of
quiet innocence,
far removed from any image of
wicked wolves howling
for blood in the night.
Still, it's the howl that has always
intrigued Jim Brandenburg.
Well, of all the sounds of nature
I really believe that the
wolf howl is the most evocative
and the most mysterious.
I believe also that wolves have
possibly gotten their bad reputation
because of the howl.
To the wolves,
howling is a very important part of
communication their community spirit.
It's sort of like the glue that
holds the family together.
I'd never been able to watch
wild wolves while they were howling.
So! Wanted to look at howling very
closely in all of its forms.
It's especially nice to be able to
watch them while they're doing it.
You can't do that down in the
forested areas but...
That Alpha Male, to me, has the most
distinctive voice for his...
Halfway through the howl he
changes an octave.
Wish I knew what it all meant though,
you know, just like a lot of
the sounds they make.
Um, you know that half bark.
There's a half bark that goes.
Yeah, that's perfect. Yeah.
You know I sneezed today and the
wolves all looked up.
And I was reminded that that probably
means to them there's danger coming.
They didn't know if one of the
wolves did it or...
Yeah.
Then they realized it was me.
It's that staccato kind of a sound.
The mid-back, the one
that's really dominant,
came over to the pups
and they all ran up to it,
And they started mobbing
her like they do,
and she was kind of upset
in the process.
And she kind of barked at em.
And it was just a half bark,
but instantly both Mom and Shaggy
ran right up to her with tail
between their legs and their rump
was down and completely submissive.
It was a wonderful display,
but it was all provoked
by that one half bark.
So, you know, I wish we could
understand these things more.
But it's sure intriguing
to watch them all.
There are equally intriguing topics,
such as the behavior of the pups.
As they've grown,
their play has become more boisterous.
The pups play for hours on end.
It gives them exercise,
allows them to develop muscle tone,
and to practice various behavior
patterns that they'll use for the
rest of their lives like running,
pouncing, stalking,
and even submitting to each other.
Competing for food is a very
important part of every wolf's life
even amongst litter mates.
A pup grabs a feather and tries
to hold onto it as long as he can.
This is similar to grabbing a piece
of food and holding it.
In this respect learning tug-of-war
becomes very important.
Today it's a feather,
tomorrow it's a whole bird.
Now six weeks old, the pups have
developed an urge to wander.
Their cautious parents attempt to
control their exuberance.
Pups sometimes roam as far as
half a mile from the den,
but they are easily found
and disciplined.
The young face little danger since
there are no large predators around,
such as the birds of prey that hunt
young wolves elsewhere in the world.
Still, the parents keep
the pups in line,
carefully maintaining the
pecking order or
"dominance hierarchy" of the pack.
Mech is now investigating several
areas of behavior,
including the pups development
and the reasons for
the wolf's notorious howl.
When a pack wakes up
they may begin to howl,
and even the pups attempt to join in.
In the silence of the Arctic,
the sound travels long distances.
To other wolves it means "stay away",
"keep off our turf..."
The pack is fiercely territorial.
Brandenburg noticed that the chorus
often preceded a hunt,
a useful cue for him
to get ready to film.
It seems an unkind trick of nature
that the arctic hares of
Ellesmere keep their white coats
in the summer.
Easy to spot, they are a favorite
and nutritious food for wolves.
Although a hare can weigh eight pounds
a wolf can down two in one day.
The hares must rely on their
agility and speed to escape.
They can run and stand on
their hind legs,
which enables them to
spot danger from a distance.
Unlike their parents,
young hares blend in
with the environment and stay perfectly
still when wolves are nearby.
Among the most impressive beasts of
the high Arctic are the
musk oxen shaggy wanderers that
graze in the wilderness
a great challenge to the wolves.
How far off would you say that is,
Dave?
Oh, I'd guess a mile.
Close to a mile.
That's what I would say.
Well, I see at least five musk oxen.
They must have journeyed up from
the valley below.
I don't know if they're trying to
unnerve the musk oxen...
Those animals can't eat now while
they're all grouped up like that.
I wonder if there's a calf in there?
There must be a calf
in there somewhere.
Yeah, there is a calf,
right in the middle there.
That's why they're so interested.
A standing circle of musk oxen
present a formidable defense.
But it's part of the nature
of wolves to attack and
kill animals larger than themselves.
It's a skill that Mech and
Brandenburg are eager to document.
Yeah, that male, that male wolf
is heading away.
Looks like they've lost interest, huh?
He's going right by them.
Yeah, they're probably going back
to the den.
That's very defensible position
those musk oxen are in.
Maybe if there were more wolves.
This is a usual situation if
they don't make a kill.
The difficulties of filming a hunt
begin to present Brandenburg
with as much of a challenge as the
wolves face in their quest for food.
In the perpetual light of summer,
the Arctic can become
surprisingly warm.
On these July days,
huddling is no longer vital
for the comfort of the pups,
now two months old.
As summer races on,
the heart of Ellesmere's tundra
blossoms briefly.
Long-tailed jaegers raise
their chicks among the
dwarf willow and mosses.
Wolves often pass close to the nest
on the ground but rarely
take advantage of the easy prey.
They jaegers, nevertheless,
are wary of both wolves and people.
The wolves appear
surprisingly indifferent
to these aggressive summer visitors.
They seem unwilling to
compromise their dignity
in battle with the jaegers.
They'll save their energy for
catching a young musk ox.
Both the jaegers and the wolves have
an eye on the human visitors,
who've stopped for lunch.
As we lay there watching the wolves
they'd often come up and check us out.
Of course, it was tempting to give
them a little bit of our lunch
and they welcomed any tidbit
that they could find.
This helped develop a rapport between
them and us that was very
useful to our being able to
observe them close up.
It's a remarkable moment
an encounter between bird,
wolf, and man.
Still, the boldness of the wolves
created some anxiety.
Camping out right in the wolves back
yard created a situation
where I had the feeling at any time
the wolves could have gone
in and really torn the camp apart.
Because if they see something
within their territory
that's like a toy, a plaything
they grab it and run around,
tease each other with it.
And, of course, they seem to have a
little more confidence.
And I think at times they felt
we were intruding
and they could do pretty much
what they wanted.
At times it pays to "speak wolf".
Every day, Jim Brandenburg is
listening as well as watching,
trying to anticipate the moment
when the pack will set off to
track down a musk ox herd.
This particular day they woke up and
predictably after a long sleep,
woke up with lots of excitement.
And I sensed very strongly that
something big was about to happen.
Some days they would leave the den
site and kind of wander
casually and be gone for
a couple hours and come right back.
But this particular day they took off
in a straight line towards the east,
single file, a very quick pace,
the kind of pace that even with the
advantage of machines
it was very difficult to keep up.
The rough ground is no obstacle
for an arctic wolf.
Each travels purposefully.
The pack has spread out but keeps in
touch by howling from time to time.
While the wolves are within
range of the den,
their howls are heard by the pups
and the female that watches over them.
Brandenburg, loaded with film
stock and rations,
is prepared to travel for days
to film a major hunt.
One of the advantages of working in
the high Arctic that you don't find
in lower latitudes is you have
Here the wolves could never really
get away from us and in the sense
that they were always on stage with
the lights full on.
And if we could simply keep up
with them, and had enough time,
eventually that scene could be
played out in front of us.
There are anxious moments when the
wolves are far ahead, out of sight.
Brandenburg has only their tracks
and his intuition to follow.
The wolves have traveled 30 miles
from the den, and Jim is still behind.
Finally, he catches up to the pack
as they search for a place to cross
a deep, fast-flowing river.
Again, his hopes of filming an attack
on musk oxen are crushed.
It was quite a frustrating experience
watching the wolves continue
on in the distance out of sight,
knowing that they were clearly going
on to some fairly intense action.
With summer running out,
Mech and Brandenburg decide
that a change in plan is imperative.
Rather than follow the pack,
they'll sit tight,
following all that happens right here
for the next 24 hours.
It made sense to commit a complete
Watch everything that happened,
try to film the highlights
of the behavior.
And I'd hoped to show an aspect of
a day in the life of the wolf pack,
near the den site,
their coming and going,
their interaction, their naps,
their sleeps.
Anything that might happen within
that 24 hour period.
Here comes one.
He's go hind feet
or she does, it's a female.
It's interesting,
usually they bring just the
hind quarter back, or often they do.
But I mean I've never seen them bring
the front quarters.
They may bring the whole hare.
The strategy begins to pay off
almost at once.
A small drama of pack life unfolds
within camera range
another demonstration of the way
a wolf's behavior indicates
its rank in the family unit.
It appear that as part of their
membership in the pack,
the subordinates have to bring food
home to the pups each day.
This probably helps maintain their
status in the pack.
Even when hungry themselves
the subordinates
still will deliver food to the pups.
It seems that the dominant wolves
need to show their subordinates that,
even though the underlings
have brought offerings of food,
they must not forget who's boss.
As I watched them closely,
I noticed that from time to time
subordinates would actually
steal food from the pups.
Most are young animals that are still
learning how to hunt themselves
so this surplus food forms an
important part of their diet.
Wish I knew which male that was.
I think it's the one that limps.
Left shoulder's the one
that's limping, though.
He's got a little limp
in his left hind leg
today as well as his left front.
Telling each of the pack members
apart was always a challenge
and a difficult thing to do.
However, we were aided by the fact
that the Alpha Male usually
dominated the other
members of the pack.
And in doing so held
his tail in the air.
To keep track of individual wolves.
Mech uses names like Shaggy,
Scruffy, and Lone Ranger.
His observations show him that the
Alpha Male has another
recognition signal besides
tail waiving.
The Alpha Male was also
distinctive in that
he raised his leg when he urinated.
The Alpha Female does that as well.
This raised-leg urination is
a way of bonding
the two together in a sexual tie.
That tie is recognized by all the
other members of the pack.
It's quite warm today on
Ellesmere Island,
and the wolves,
with their shaggy coats,
may need some way of cooling
down in the bright sunlight.
Below the surface of the
tundra lies cooler soil.
The animals have little trouble
reaching it.
The softest spots are the
heathery hillsides.
I've actually watched wolves
sleep there for
as long as 18 hours at a time.
There's not much happening.
Jim, I think I'm gonna run a little
test while the light it
about the same and the wind,
And I'm also in the same position.
I'm gonna run down,
get out of sight and howl.
And I'll go quite a ways.
I'm gonna imitate a strange
wolf that's scared.
Sound good.
Yeah. I'll record what time it was
when I howled so if you get
a response here you record the time
that you get the response.
Yeah. Yeah. See you later.
Thanks. I'll see you later.
Eventually, Dave's imitations seem
to have another effect.
The pack is drawing together,
though there may be some other
cause for the excitement.
Two of the pack are waving their
tails as signals of leadership,
telling the others that
they are in charge.
Mech, however,
has seen nothing of this.
So what happened?
Soon as you howled they listened,
but no one moved.
And it was a very casual
kind of response.
What, these other two came back...
Yeah, it was the Alpha Male
and Midback came back...
OK.
With their tails up really high.
Clearly an expression of
"we're in charge'.
They had a fight down on the draw here
With one of the other females?
Couldn't see them.
Then they ran up on the hillside here
and there was a mass of wolves.
It was difficult to sort it out.
They were pinning each other.
They were growling, biting,
tails in the air.
A mass and a swirl,
a swirling of wolves right out
here in the green, green area.
And it's hard to say what...
Did the pups get in on
any of that stuff?
A little.
They were following around
but it was the big kids.
The 24 hour vigil is paying off.
Despite some long periods
of inactivity,
there is also some intriguing behavior
Another arctic hare has been brought
in for the pups,
their second of the day.
At 10 weeks old, the young wolves
are highly competitive.
When a pup is lucky enough to get a
large piece of prey
he has to run as far away as
he can to avoid having
it stolen by his litter mates.
At this point I get the impression
that no one pup dominates
the others and that all tend to get
their share of the food.
When a large chunk of meat is brought
in by a subordinate,
The Alpha pair are the first to try
and steal it.
But a tug of war develops that allows
each member of the pack
to get a portion of the food.
The hare was caught nearby.
When prey is killed too far away to
be brought back in an animal's jaws,
There is an alternative
"catch-and-carry system".
As pups are weaned from nursing
more and more of their food comes
from regurgitation by the adults.
The adults feed perhaps
miles from the pups,
carry the food in their stomach
and bring it back to the den.
As an adult approaches with a full
stomach it's really exciting
to watch the pups mob it,
Particularly licking around
their mouths.
And this triggers the adult to
regurgitate to them.
Several weeks of watching it at a
distance was quite frustrating.
I had always hoped to be at
close hand while that happened
because it was a very important
part of behavior to film.
The 24-hour watch gave an opportunity
to see this happen close at hand.
The Alpha Female brought back a
nice meal for the puppies.
She for some reason chose not to do
it to my back this time.
She unloaded her precious cargo right
in front of the camera.
And the pups quickly gobbled it up.
Remaining alert throughout the
But the plan's success
makes it worthwhile.
Brandenburg can finally rest,
but his dream of photographing
a musk ox hunt is not forgotten.
During Mech's turn on watch,
the wolves grow curious.
From the start,
Mom was the friendliest
and most tolerant of the group.
This visit from her is a
sign of the increasing trust
and rapport between wolf and man.
Curiosity satisfied for the time being
she sets off across the valley,
Leaving behind two very
contented observers.
Before this visit to Elsmere,
the closest Dave Mech
had managed to come to a
wild wolf was 15 feet.
Now a wolf has come to him,
and these 24 hours have been
the most productive in his career.
As the wolves bed down and
the team's vigil finally ends,
Mech decides on his next move to take
advantage of this rare situation.
I really wanted to see just how close
I could get to the pups.
If I could get close enough
I could identify each one
individually perhaps.
Or at least find a way of
marking them so that I could.
And that would allow me then to see
if there's any particular
individual who was more aggressive
than the others,
or got more food, or perhaps was
more exploratory.
But all this would require
that I get close to them.
I also wanted to see just how Mom
would regard me
when I was that close to her pups.
It's three a.m. on a sunny
but chilly night.
For whatever reason, Mom began to
howl and the pups joined in.
I would have loved to have
joined them as well,
But being so close to the den I
thought perhaps my howl
would have upset the entire pack.
Nevertheless, I couldn't resist at
least going through the motions.
When he first arrived on Ellesmere,
Mech could not be sure
that the would ever get this close
to the arctic wolves.
But the short summer season
is almost over.
The men still dream of following the
pack on a major hunt
before the arrival of winter.
Time was running out,
and I knew this hunt
sequence was crucial to the
success of the film.
In some ways the longer I waited
the better the chances got.
As the pups get older they require
more and more food.
And the pack becomes more and more
intent upon finding that food.
The weather was right,
we were well rested,
the wolves were very intent,
so this particular day all the
signals were right.
I had my own reason for wanting to
watch a kill up close.
In the past I've seen several
from aircraft.
But each time it was only a swarm of
wolves massing around the prey animal.
With the Ellesmere pack I may well be
able to tell the role of
each particular wolf in the entire
hunting and killing process.
Catching a musk ox is not an easy job
and the wolves must be careful
and still avoid their
hooves and their horns.
But when he wolves get close,
the musk oxen must stop,
group together, and face them.
They continue to harass the musk oxen
until one begins to run.
When a herd panics it gives the
wolves a chance to attack
without so much fear of being injured.
Both predator and prey have to
rest frequently
and skirmishes like this may
go on for hours.
If the herd is healthy a few such
skirmished will tell the wolves
that it's time to give up
and go on to others.
The pack rested for 45 minutes
and then took off
for another five-mile jaunt.
We knew right away that the next
encounter would be an interesting one.
This herd had at least three calves.
And it is the calves that the wolves
seek out during the summer.
I could see that it was the Alpha pair
that led the charge down to the herd.
One of the more interesting aspects
was to see the different
personalities of the wolves.
How I got to know them back at the
den was one group of wolves,
and what I saw in front of me seemed
to be a different group of wolves.
They truly became killing machines.
The wolves separated out
a calf from the herd
and the calf's mother decided to
go on in the safety of the group.
It's hard to know where to look
cause the rest of the pack tried
to separate out a second calf.
Meanwhile back with the first calf
the Alpha Male clings to a hind leg.
Even with the whole pack on its head
it took about five minutes
for the calf to go down.
For three tense hours
on the tundra plain,
Dave and Jim witness a scene
older than mankind.
The Alpha pair takes
possession of the carcass,
even though the whole pack
was in on the kill.
The wolf depends on meat
for its survival.
Its ability to catch,
kill and rapidly digest
its prey has been honed over
millions of years.
But this behavior after the kill
was new to the photographer
and even to the biologist,
Who had seen it elsewhere but was
still surprised by its intensity.
What seems to be going on is that
these subordinate animals
are food begging just as
they did as pups.
Although this was a
strong scene to watch,
I was jubilant to have seen
it close up.
And to have been able to confirm the
dominant role of the Alpha animals.
The wolves consume
as much as they can
but the calf is large,
and there's meat left over.
Chunks are carried off to be buried
in the icy ground,
a natural form of cold storage.
The wolves may return for the food
when hunting is poor
and the pups are hungry.
Their stomachs full of food
to be regurgitated for the pups,
the wolves are ready to begin the
trek back to the den.
They've suffered some injuries,
but all five are strong
enough to make the journey.
By September the pups
have grown considerably,
thanks to successful hunting
during the summer.
They'll need stamina and strength to
make it through the coming season.
Already the sunshine is weakening
into the twilight
that precedes the long darkness
of polar winter.
The arctic wolves coats are now long
and thick enough to protect
them from temperatures that will
plunge far below zero.
Shrouded in snow
and continual darkness,
The adults must still hunt and
scavenge for their pups.
But no one knows
what they do in winter;
That remains an Arctic mystery,
a five-month gap in a story
that can only be continued
when the men return next year.
It is the following spring.
Mech and Brandenburg have returned to
Ellesmere to resume their work.
When I returned once again in the
spring the pack had changed.
Three members were missing
and there was a new Alpha Male,
probably one of the subordinates
that moved up into the old one's place
What happened to the old Alpha Male
I can't say,
but three wolves were found dead
in the area at the end of winter.
Getting to know the small,
cuddly puppies,
watching them grow
and seeing all the energy that
was invested in them by the adults,
knowing they going into a very
harsh winter I often wonder
what'd ever become of them,
knowing that they all can't survive.
Most of the time the wolves go off
and die in places that you'd never see
But to be able to go over
and actually touch
and feel the ribs sticking out
was a very poignant moment.
The mysteries of winter lead to more
questions in the spring.
Did these animals die of starvation,
disease, old age, or some other cause?
When and why did the change in the
social order of the pack occur?
The more I watch these wolves the
more questions come to mind.
As the pack composition changes from
year to year,
the social behavior changes,
Both in relation to each other
and to the pups.
Seeing the wolves around the den again
immediately told me that
I was in store for another summer
of good data collecting.
I was absolutely certain
there was a litter
when I saw the mother emerge begging
food from one of the subordinates.
She really can't hunt much on her own
during the first three weeks
since she must stay in the den and
keep the pups warm during this period.
In a remarkable display of tolerance,
Mon allows Brandenburg to enter
the den to view her new litter.
It was a difficult decision whether
to go into the den or not.
Once it was made it was
very satisfying to know
that they trusted me so much
at this point
that they allowed me with their young.
These pictures are courtesy of
a wild arctic wolf.
Can we return its trust,
or will we cling to our simplistic
belief that these are nothing but
vicious predators?
In the high Arctic,
man has now seen more of wolves
than ever before.
Brandenburg and Mech have
shown them to be tolerant,
resilient creatures,
bound to each other
by their complex social rules,
living and hunting together
for the sake of survival.