Canis obliviosus

December 30, 2007 7:53 PM

Can anyone identify a specific documentary that details a film maker's work with wolves?

In February or March of 2006 I watched a documentary that really captivated me and I've since lost the notes I took about it. I missed the beginning and never heard the title. It aired on KET2, a channel for Kentucky Education Television that carries prime-time PBS, repeats, state programs, and children's TV. I searched the episode archive for that time period and found no match. My Google-Fu failed me in this quest.

The documentary examined a group of wolves in a remote setting in Asia or Europe. While the animals were compelling, the film maker's process really captivated me. Much of what I saw of the movie/episode demonstrated how he set up remote, motion-activated cameras and tracked the wolves. The part I caught showed no direct interaction with the wolves.

If I recall correctly, he is also a researcher and, through his process, has offered the most details about this certain region's elusive wolves. It could possibly be another type of canid, but I would hope I can at least remember that part. The terrain was treacherous and rocky and I don't recall it as snowy. As far as the style of documentary, I don't know if it was self-filmed or if the narration was in first- or third-person.

posted by bonobo to media & arts (9 comments total)

Farley Mowat? Never Cry Wolf.
posted by thebrokedown at 8:06 PM on December 30, 2007

Link to Never Cry Wolf.
posted by Miko at 8:08 PM on December 30, 2007

Sorry, it's not Never Cry Wolf, or a dramatization for that matter. Thanks.
posted by bonobo at 8:14 PM on December 30, 2007

Maybe this one? In the Valley of the Wolves except its in Yellowstone...
posted by clanger at 8:47 PM on December 30, 2007

Nope, not In the Valley..., either.
posted by bonobo at 9:01 PM on December 30, 2007

Living with Wolves? The "filming in remote locations" and "shown on public television" parts match, however, the filmmakers (a husband and wife team) were in direct contact with the pack.
posted by jamaro at 11:42 PM on December 30, 2007

There was a very similar documentary at the Banff Mountain Film Festival, though it was set in BC and the researcher was female.

Searching for the Coast Wolves
Germany, 2006, 52 minutes
Directed by Richard Matthews Produced by Heinz von Matthey
Website: www.zdf.de
Focus: Environment, Human narrative
Rating: General

Gudrun Pflueger is an ex-world champion cross-country skier and long-distance runner. For the last six years, she has been studying wolves in the wilds of Canada, collecting field data, hair, droppings and other evidence for use in scientific projects on wolves. She goes in search of the mysterious coast wolves of British Columbia, a quest that culminates with a dramatic and powerful encounter.


A bit different, but similar...
posted by ms.v. at 2:59 PM on December 31, 2007

Nay to Searching for the Coast Wolves and Living with Wolves, as well.

I can't find the index card I made the notes on around home. Next time I'm in my studio I'm going to check my sketchbooks from around that time and see if I wedged it in one of them. At this point, I'm wondering if it even was wolves he was tracking and filming. I watched it on my first night in a hotel after leaving my (now ex-) husband and asking for a divorce--lot on my mind at the time and I may very well have that (not-so-small) detail wrong. I even skimmed the entire science and nature category at NetFlix and found nothing that matched.

Thank you for all the help, folks.
posted by bonobo at 11:16 AM on January 1

Found it! I did get the subject animal totally wrong.

It was Silent Roar: Searching for the Snow Leopard. I watched it again recently--marvelous documentary.
posted by bonobo at 7:47 PM on June 22