We apologize, but this video has failed to load.“We have worked on a lot of these films that kind of transcend typical wildlife films. That is what always interested me,” said McKinlay about the team’s 15-year relationship. “This wolf film idea came up and it is kind of the epitome of human-animal coexistence. It’s this apex predator and it’s coming back onto the landscape.
Included on that list is Cheryl Alexander, a photographer who became famous for her photos of Takaya, the lone wolf who called Discovery and Chatham Islands just off Victoria home.Article content Gary Allan is seen here with his 90 per cent wolf Tundra. Allan is a wolf educator from Nanaimo B.C. Photo: Isabelle GrocBut, despite her love of cheese and her patience with the public, there’s no mistaking that Tundra is a wolf. Full stop.
Powerful, yes, but deadly, not so much, as a detailed study by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research between 2002-2020 has revealed. The study found 26 reported fatal attacks by wolves across the globe. Turkey had 12, Iran six, India four and one each in Canada, the United States, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Fourteen of those deaths were due to rabies.
“The views of the wolves as just predators have changed. People are generally more accepting of the presence of the wolves and understanding the benefits that wolves bring to the ecosystem. However, those territories where they are coming back are different from what the landscapes used to be, meaning the human footprint has increased dramatically,” said Groc.