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 30 year's experience.
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 24 hours of daylight.
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 24 hour documentation from one spot;
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 to gether,
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 24 hours is not easy,
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 Ellsemere, 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.