Wolves in Documentary
Global Wolf educates viewers on the history of the human-wolf relationship throughout the world and follows international wolf researchers as they work to preserve a species once hunted to the edge of extinction. Gesa Kluth, a European wolf biologist, plays happily with captive research wolves as she explains they are quite friendly to each other and the humans they recognize. Her quest is to determine if the German wolf is truly extinct or if there may be hope to revitalize the regional lineage.
In the Yukon, Canadian biologist David Jones joins his friend Steven Frost, a caribou tracker, as they traverse the Porcupine River. The two men hope a caribou migration will result in some wolf sightings. Although Canadian wolves boast a healthy population they are known for their evasive nature. It is therefore a unique event when a wolf presents itself to Jones and Frost, engaging in a conversation of howls with Jones – an encounter that lasts over three hours.
In Russia, wolf rescuer Vladimir Bologov purchases a litter of wolf cubs from the hunters that orphaned them. He takes them to an island where we discover he has established a wolf refuge. Striving to allow the wolves to remain as wild as possible, Vladimir keeps his distance, allowing the wolves to remain semi-wild but cared for in the refuge for a year before driving them as far into the wilderness as possible to be released. Vladimir remains with the wolves for days after release to ensure the likelihood of their survival, and fits them with radio collars so he may continue to track their progress.
In addition to following these specific researchers, the filmmakers take us to India to survey the relationship between the human population and area wildlife, and to more remote areas of Egypt and the Middle East, as the historical conflict between humans and wolves is elaborated upon. While crediting the endurance of wolf populations with their ability to adapt to various environments, it is also explained that their attraction to herd animals and the resulting threat to livestock is what put them at odds with humans as far back as the Middle Ages.
Citing their reputation in ancient folklore and fairy tales, wolves have been used to represent power and threat throughout the world in ways that have perpetuated their near-demise for centuries. Global Wolf offers insight into the complex relationship between wolf and man, the beauty and diversity of wolves, and the part they play in our greater world ecology.
Wolves in Books
The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling Baby Mowgli is found by wolves in the Indian jungle. Shere Khan the tiger wants to gobble him up, but Father Wolf claims him. "'The Wolves are a free people,' said Father Wolf. 'They take orders from the Head of the Pack, and not from any striped cattle-killer.'" Mowgli, declares Raksha, the Mother Wolf, "shall live to run with the Pack and to hunt with the Pack". Hooray for wolves!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis Wolves are the natural allies of the evil White Witch, who recruits the biggest and fiercest wolf, Maugrim, as her chief of secret police. He is killed in a final duel with Peter, who is grandly renamed "Wolf's Bane" by Aslan. But there are good wolves in Narnia too.
Wolf Brother, by Michelle Paver Based on research into both stone age life and wolf behaviour, the first in Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness features 12-year-old Torak, member of the Wolf tribe. He befriends a cub, "Wolf", who becomes his guide on a quest to the Mountain of World Spirit. The two can communicate with uncanny ease.
Wolves in Movies
Wolves 2014
The film's opening is narrated by Cayden who explains about the nightmares he has been having and what they might mean. During a football match, a rival player headbutts Cayden, causing the latter to become enraged and attack the player with superhuman strength, sometime later, Cayden accidentally hurts his girlfriend while kissing her in his car, the passion of the kiss caused him to unwillingly transform.
Cayden wakes up covered in blood and finds the dismembered bodies of his parents, believing he did it, he flees while his girlfriend tells everyone he did it. Cayden being a wanted man stays on the move and tried to keep his lycanthropy under control but accidentally kills a few bikers trying to save a woman. Cayden goes to a bar and draws the attention of another Werewolf Joe, who points him to a location called Lupine Range, a small farm town filled with Lycanthropes, Joe explains that werewolves come in two types, purebreeds and the bitten, purebreeds who are born werewolves from werewolf parents are far more powerful are rare with only a few bloodlines left of them, Cayden who recently discovered he was adopted being one of them.
Cayden travels to Lupine Range and goes to a local bar, most of the patrons stop what they are doing and stare at him, it becomes apparent that nearly everyone in the bar is a werewolf and most of the surround one werewolf in particular who's eyes remain animal-like even in human form. Cayden talks with the barmaid Angelina whom he becomes attracted too, however this draws the attention of the other wolves, After being forced to leave to due to the hostility of mountain pack, he is approached by a wolf of his bloodline who warns him to leave town and that he is in danger, the wolf is later killed by Connor, the alpha werewolf who still has wolf eyes in human form.
John, a local farmer hires Cayden as farmhand and tells him of his origins, about his mother and who is real father is, Connor, who apparently raped Lucille(the mother). Cayden who earlier spied on Connor eating the remains of the werewolf he killed, is shocked that he is the son of a monster. John also tells him about the uneasy peace between the town wolves and the savage mountain wolves, a peace that comes with the condition that Connor can have Angelina as he desires a son, Connor does not know that he has a son.
Cayden and John are not satisfied with the terms of the deal and want something to be done but the local wolves fear what the stronger and more bestial mountain wolves would do in retaliation. Cayden goes to the mountains to confront Connors and reveals who he is, but Connor is skeptical and unleashes his wolves onto Cayden who easily outmatches them one on one but is wounded when they all attack at once, Cayden manages to slash Connor across the face and jumps off a nearby cliff to escape, however, he severely wounds himself and is told by John to transform so he could heal.
Cayden begins to form a plan to deal with the mountain pack and unlike before, is willing to kill them to save Angelina who gets kidnapped. Cayden kills two of the pack and lures the others into a trap where John shoots some explosives, Cayden then faces his father and emerges the victor,Connnor reveals that he didn't rape Lucille and that they loved each other but was blamed for her death, following this he spiraled out of control. Joe turns up and reveals he planned the events all along, killing Cayden's parents and convincing him to go to Lupine Range so that he could kill Connor in revenge for what happened to Joe. Joe kills Connor but is killed by Cayden.
Cayden decides to leave Lupine with Angelina as she wants to see more of the world but promises John he would be back, John then gives him a scroll showing the bloodlines of the purebreed wolves. Cayden and Angelina than leaves Lupine.
Misrepresentation of wolves
Popular media often mispresents animals as who they want the public to think they are, rather than representing them as who they actually are. This sort of sensationalsm is good for filling their pockets with money but harms the animals.
A new movie called "The Grey" continues this tradition by misrepresenting wolves as violent hunters who harm humans. Nothing could be further than the truth, there having been only two recent fatal wolf attacks on a human documented in North America.
In addition to the misrepresentation of these magnificent animals, actors also ate two wolves. To quote from an article about the making of this movie: "To get the cast of 'The Grey' in the mood for the wild, director Joe Carnahan had wolf stew prepared for them. The meat was made from real wolves. And no, it didn't taste like chicken. Many cast members lost their lunch. But [Liam] Neeson 'went up for seconds of the wolf stew. A few guys did upchuck. We all knew what we were eating. All I can say is it was very game-y. But I'm Irish, so I'm used to odd stews. I can take it. Just throw a lot of carrots and onions in there and I'll call it dinner.''"
It's known that the misrepresentation of chimpanzees by media can harm efforts to protect and conserve them and there is every reason to think that "The Grey" will have the same effect on wolves who are wantonly killed because they are no longer protected by the Endangered Species Act. There really are some people for whom killing wolves makes them happy and this movie will provide the perfect motivation to continue to do so and to rally some of their friends to join in the fun.
Global Wolf educates viewers on the history of the human-wolf relationship throughout the world and follows international wolf researchers as they work to preserve a species once hunted to the edge of extinction. Gesa Kluth, a European wolf biologist, plays happily with captive research wolves as she explains they are quite friendly to each other and the humans they recognize. Her quest is to determine if the German wolf is truly extinct or if there may be hope to revitalize the regional lineage.
In the Yukon, Canadian biologist David Jones joins his friend Steven Frost, a caribou tracker, as they traverse the Porcupine River. The two men hope a caribou migration will result in some wolf sightings. Although Canadian wolves boast a healthy population they are known for their evasive nature. It is therefore a unique event when a wolf presents itself to Jones and Frost, engaging in a conversation of howls with Jones – an encounter that lasts over three hours.
In Russia, wolf rescuer Vladimir Bologov purchases a litter of wolf cubs from the hunters that orphaned them. He takes them to an island where we discover he has established a wolf refuge. Striving to allow the wolves to remain as wild as possible, Vladimir keeps his distance, allowing the wolves to remain semi-wild but cared for in the refuge for a year before driving them as far into the wilderness as possible to be released. Vladimir remains with the wolves for days after release to ensure the likelihood of their survival, and fits them with radio collars so he may continue to track their progress.
In addition to following these specific researchers, the filmmakers take us to India to survey the relationship between the human population and area wildlife, and to more remote areas of Egypt and the Middle East, as the historical conflict between humans and wolves is elaborated upon. While crediting the endurance of wolf populations with their ability to adapt to various environments, it is also explained that their attraction to herd animals and the resulting threat to livestock is what put them at odds with humans as far back as the Middle Ages.
Citing their reputation in ancient folklore and fairy tales, wolves have been used to represent power and threat throughout the world in ways that have perpetuated their near-demise for centuries. Global Wolf offers insight into the complex relationship between wolf and man, the beauty and diversity of wolves, and the part they play in our greater world ecology.
Wolves in Books
The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling Baby Mowgli is found by wolves in the Indian jungle. Shere Khan the tiger wants to gobble him up, but Father Wolf claims him. "'The Wolves are a free people,' said Father Wolf. 'They take orders from the Head of the Pack, and not from any striped cattle-killer.'" Mowgli, declares Raksha, the Mother Wolf, "shall live to run with the Pack and to hunt with the Pack". Hooray for wolves!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis Wolves are the natural allies of the evil White Witch, who recruits the biggest and fiercest wolf, Maugrim, as her chief of secret police. He is killed in a final duel with Peter, who is grandly renamed "Wolf's Bane" by Aslan. But there are good wolves in Narnia too.
Wolf Brother, by Michelle Paver Based on research into both stone age life and wolf behaviour, the first in Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness features 12-year-old Torak, member of the Wolf tribe. He befriends a cub, "Wolf", who becomes his guide on a quest to the Mountain of World Spirit. The two can communicate with uncanny ease.
Wolves in Movies
Wolves 2014
The film's opening is narrated by Cayden who explains about the nightmares he has been having and what they might mean. During a football match, a rival player headbutts Cayden, causing the latter to become enraged and attack the player with superhuman strength, sometime later, Cayden accidentally hurts his girlfriend while kissing her in his car, the passion of the kiss caused him to unwillingly transform.
Cayden wakes up covered in blood and finds the dismembered bodies of his parents, believing he did it, he flees while his girlfriend tells everyone he did it. Cayden being a wanted man stays on the move and tried to keep his lycanthropy under control but accidentally kills a few bikers trying to save a woman. Cayden goes to a bar and draws the attention of another Werewolf Joe, who points him to a location called Lupine Range, a small farm town filled with Lycanthropes, Joe explains that werewolves come in two types, purebreeds and the bitten, purebreeds who are born werewolves from werewolf parents are far more powerful are rare with only a few bloodlines left of them, Cayden who recently discovered he was adopted being one of them.
Cayden travels to Lupine Range and goes to a local bar, most of the patrons stop what they are doing and stare at him, it becomes apparent that nearly everyone in the bar is a werewolf and most of the surround one werewolf in particular who's eyes remain animal-like even in human form. Cayden talks with the barmaid Angelina whom he becomes attracted too, however this draws the attention of the other wolves, After being forced to leave to due to the hostility of mountain pack, he is approached by a wolf of his bloodline who warns him to leave town and that he is in danger, the wolf is later killed by Connor, the alpha werewolf who still has wolf eyes in human form.
John, a local farmer hires Cayden as farmhand and tells him of his origins, about his mother and who is real father is, Connor, who apparently raped Lucille(the mother). Cayden who earlier spied on Connor eating the remains of the werewolf he killed, is shocked that he is the son of a monster. John also tells him about the uneasy peace between the town wolves and the savage mountain wolves, a peace that comes with the condition that Connor can have Angelina as he desires a son, Connor does not know that he has a son.
Cayden and John are not satisfied with the terms of the deal and want something to be done but the local wolves fear what the stronger and more bestial mountain wolves would do in retaliation. Cayden goes to the mountains to confront Connors and reveals who he is, but Connor is skeptical and unleashes his wolves onto Cayden who easily outmatches them one on one but is wounded when they all attack at once, Cayden manages to slash Connor across the face and jumps off a nearby cliff to escape, however, he severely wounds himself and is told by John to transform so he could heal.
Cayden begins to form a plan to deal with the mountain pack and unlike before, is willing to kill them to save Angelina who gets kidnapped. Cayden kills two of the pack and lures the others into a trap where John shoots some explosives, Cayden then faces his father and emerges the victor,Connnor reveals that he didn't rape Lucille and that they loved each other but was blamed for her death, following this he spiraled out of control. Joe turns up and reveals he planned the events all along, killing Cayden's parents and convincing him to go to Lupine Range so that he could kill Connor in revenge for what happened to Joe. Joe kills Connor but is killed by Cayden.
Cayden decides to leave Lupine with Angelina as she wants to see more of the world but promises John he would be back, John then gives him a scroll showing the bloodlines of the purebreed wolves. Cayden and Angelina than leaves Lupine.
Misrepresentation of wolves
Popular media often mispresents animals as who they want the public to think they are, rather than representing them as who they actually are. This sort of sensationalsm is good for filling their pockets with money but harms the animals.
A new movie called "The Grey" continues this tradition by misrepresenting wolves as violent hunters who harm humans. Nothing could be further than the truth, there having been only two recent fatal wolf attacks on a human documented in North America.
In addition to the misrepresentation of these magnificent animals, actors also ate two wolves. To quote from an article about the making of this movie: "To get the cast of 'The Grey' in the mood for the wild, director Joe Carnahan had wolf stew prepared for them. The meat was made from real wolves. And no, it didn't taste like chicken. Many cast members lost their lunch. But [Liam] Neeson 'went up for seconds of the wolf stew. A few guys did upchuck. We all knew what we were eating. All I can say is it was very game-y. But I'm Irish, so I'm used to odd stews. I can take it. Just throw a lot of carrots and onions in there and I'll call it dinner.''"
It's known that the misrepresentation of chimpanzees by media can harm efforts to protect and conserve them and there is every reason to think that "The Grey" will have the same effect on wolves who are wantonly killed because they are no longer protected by the Endangered Species Act. There really are some people for whom killing wolves makes them happy and this movie will provide the perfect motivation to continue to do so and to rally some of their friends to join in the fun.