Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 (wind whooshing)
00:02 Winter comes early to Yellowstone.
00:04 (wolves howling)
00:08 This is the season of the wolf.
00:13 While others battle the elements, wolves are in their prime.
00:20 Their success is tied to the collective strength of the pack.
00:25 (wind whooshing)
00:30 A curious adolescent named Blacktail.
00:33 Like many young males,
00:36 he's left behind the security of his pack.
00:39 Winter's wrath could be fatal for a lone wolf.
00:43 In this lean season, every meal is critical.
00:48 And hiding among the willows
00:52 is what looks like a perfect opportunity.
00:57 A wounded bull elk, half frozen at the water's edge.
01:02 A wolf pack would go straight for the kill.
01:08 But alone, Blacktail has almost no chance of taking it down.
01:15 He must wait until the bull gives out.
01:26 (gentle music)
01:29 But time is not in his favor.
01:33 Far across the valley, a legion is gathering.
01:38 The Wapiti Pack.
01:41 More than 20 wolves strong,
01:47 they travel in formation, searching for prey.
01:53 They follow the river unhurried
01:56 until in unison, they spot something.
01:59 The wounded elk.
02:06 Blacktail holds his ground in the meadow.
02:12 He can't afford to abandon this chance of a meal.
02:17 The Wapitis gather in the timber.
02:23 They're staging for an ambush,
02:24 just as night is falling.
02:28 The sun rises on what little remains of the old bull elk.
02:41 The Wapitis' night ambush was a success.
02:46 20 wolves fed on their prize and vanished,
02:51 leaving only scraps for ravens and coyotes.
02:54 Blacktail is nowhere to be seen.
03:00 (upbeat music)
03:05 (upbeat music)