After hiking fourteen miles a day for two weeks, looking for signs of wolves in the wilderness, our research team was packing up, headed to the comfort of Motel 6. Sarah and Joel came bounding down the path to our campsite. "We found wolf scat! We found wolf scat!" This "special prize" confirmed our belief that a wolf was in the area. After all our searching, here was fresh evidence, only a quarter mile from our campsite.
Now we faced a dilemma. Should we report the wolf? If we did, we might ensure its protection under Montana law. But ironically, this same law would also put our wolf at risk, since ranchers are legally allowed to shoot a wolf after an attack on their livestock. Who has the right to the Montana wilderness-wolves or ranchers? Can there be a balance between these two opposing groups?
Before I went to Montana to be a part of a research team, I thought wild animals were always in the right. My passion for animal rights goes back to childhood. At the age of nine, I volunteered at two activist groups and participated in organized protests. From ages 11 to 14, I spoke several times at the Massachusetts State House, before subcommittees on education to oppose animal vivisection in the classroom. For me, wolves were clearly the victims, and killing big furry dogs was wrong. Though a simplistic view, it was one I fiercely held. But in Montana, as I learned about the needs of the rancher, I reexamined my assumptions.
With this film, I want to capture how hard it is for ranchers to maintain a ranch, which often entails fighting isolation, livestock disease, and extreme weather conditions. I aim to balance the ranchers' viewpoints with those of environmentalists, showing the harmful effect of farming in the wilderness and its impact on the social structure of wolves. The documentary will explore the conflict and ethical issues surrounding ranchers, wolves, and environmentalists.
In my documentary, I plan to interview wolf expert Jay Mallonée, to show the importance of stable family life in wolf packs. I will also interview three ranchers who killed wolves in the belief that wolves poached their livestock. Ranchers often blame the wolf, even when there is proof that their livestock was attacked by another animal such as a big cat or bear. A cat will kill its prey instantly by attacking the throat and breaking its neck. A wolf, however, takes down its prey from behind and drags it down. Even when only a skeleton remains, there is no question whether a wolf was the predator.
In addition to these interviews, I will use the approach first explored in Sky Above, Mud Below, by following Jay Mallonée's research team on an expedition in the wild. Team members have been trained in wolf howling. To locate a wolf, they howl and wait three minutes for a response. This is repeated every quarter to half mile, the maximum range that a human can hear. USGS topographical maps are consulted to determine the best way to cross the terrain. Most wolf locating is done at night because the quieter forest enables a human to hear if a wolf responds. It can take months to locate one wolf. Electronic listening devices are not used because they are too expensive.
This documentary will use narration and hand-held camera footage, exploring the following topics:
- Wolf behavior and history: I will follow the Ninemile Pack over a two-year period, documenting prime segments of its lifestyle and interaction with its environment over the mountainous terrain in the coniferous forests of Montana.
- History of the ranchers and settlers: I will investigate, through archival photographs and film, the attitudes and values of the residents near Kalispell, Montana. I will explain the influence of fables and how they reinforce the idea of the wolf as an enemy, and explain the economic realities: to a rancher, loss of one domesticated animal can cost hundreds of dollars. As a result, ranchers worry about being able to feed their families.
There is no ideal solution to this conflict. There is no cost-effective, foolproof method to prevent wild animals from sporadically killing livestock. According to Ned Lynas, lead researcher on the study of whales in Narragansett Bay, "Two species, with the same needs on the same land, cannot occupy the same space." One is likely to lose. It is up to people to devise a way to compromise and live harmoniously. A first step is to learn more about wolf behavior and to make sure that this information reaches ranchers and their families. Conversely, environmentalists need to understand more about ranchers' needs. A handful of innovators are doing this work. The wolf's future depends on their success.
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