Nature (1982–…): Season 36, Episode 7 - Arctic Wolf Pack - full transcript
At the very northern edge of North America is Ellesmere Island, where unforgiving Arctic winds tear through the tundra. It's home to one of the most hardened predators on the planet, the white wolf.
♪♪
The Arctic is no
place to be a lone wolf.
Prey is scarce...
and it's fierce and well-armed.
Where food sometimes
is plentiful, it's fast.
There's often not
enough to go around.
Up here, what a
wolf needs most...
is family.
A family grows up to be a pack,
and a pack can hold a territory.
Now they have a real chance...
To hunt...
to raise pups...
to prosper in this
seemingly impossible place.
And it's for a family
that a wolf can rise
from determined killer...
to a tender and devoted
member of the pack...
whose loyalty lasts
to the very end.
♪♪
The wolves of the high Arctic
live much of their
lives in darkness.
Here on Canada's
Ellesmere Island,
their dramatic story unfolds
far from human eyes...
a mere 500 miles
from the North Pole.
♪♪
Wolves here have little choice
but to brave the
brutal winter cold
that lasts for 8
months of the year.
♪♪
To survive, they must
face formidable prey...
five times their size and
armed with lethal horns.
♪♪
But a wolf on its own
can't do much against
such intimidating beasts.
♪♪
The strength of muskox in a herd
tells the wolf that without
a pack alongside him,
he should just move on.
♪♪
It's late March,
and the Eureka
pack is finishing up
what's left of a bull muskox
they killed two weeks ago.
The pack has been
fortunate this year.
The winter snow
was unusually deep,
which left many muskox
weak and vulnerable.
The Eureka wolves are thriving,
thanks to the care and guidance
of Snow White and Alpha,
the breeding pair who
now return to their family.
For wolves, family
means everything.
It's the single most
important thing in their lives.
The bonds of love
and loyalty run deep,
even if they do sometimes
squabble over leftovers.
♪♪
To live in this icy
realm, so far north,
animals need to be special.
Ellesmere Island
is a polar desert
that receives little more
than 3 inches of rain a year.
Food here is almost
always frozen and buried.
Adapted to life in a freezer,
muskox and Arctic hares
are masters at
conserving energy.
It's the only way
they can survive
on the sparse twigs
and dry grasses here.
But times are changing.
Warmer winters bring
deeper snow and freezing rain,
locking what little vegetation
there is under an icy crust.
♪♪
Changes such as these
also threaten the wolves,
by disturbing the
delicate balance
of life in the north.
When the Eureka pack
makes a kill, they waste nothing.
At minus 40, frozen
bones can shatter teeth,
but the fatty marrow inside
is too precious to waste.
A lone female from outside the
pack approaches the carcass.
Snow White and Alpha are
nearby, so she's taking a risk.
♪♪
Hunger makes her desperate.
But Snow White and
Alpha do not approve.
♪♪
Membership in the
pack is exclusive,
and the breeding pair alone
decides who may
stay and who must go.
♪♪
These last scraps
are not for her.
There's not much left...
and not long before
they'll have to kill again.
♪♪
Forced to leave, this female
will have to strike
out on her own.
In this frozen land, life
is harsh for outcasts...
without a family
like the Eureka pack
to shelter and protect them.
♪♪
It's not that wolves
are cruel or kind.
It's the Arctic itself
that is so unforgiving.
♪♪
Yet, as the weeks go
by, winter slowly retreats.
The snow cover
begins to melt away.
For all animals, it's a sprint
to make the most of
a short Arctic summer.
The race starts now.
♪♪
♪♪
An Arctic fox.
♪♪
This nimble hunter
stays light on his feet,
so as not to betray his presence
to what lays hidden below.
♪♪
A lemming.
Lemmings don't hibernate,
a crucially important
fact for the Arctic fox.
He's almost completely
reliant on these small creatures,
who ride out the worst
of the winter weather
in their labyrinth of
tunnels under the snow.
♪♪
The lone female
is out on the tundra.
♪♪
She has wandered
the ridges and valleys
for the last several weeks,
searching for a
very special place...
a place that she
can call home...
for herself...
and her new pups.
♪♪
Tucked down in a
small river valley,
her den is perfect
for keeping her pups
warm, dry, and out of sight.
She has started a
family of her own,
the foundations of a new pack.
♪♪
The transition
into spring is swift.
The sun now circles
24 hours a day.
♪♪
But just because
the snow is melting
doesn't mean life is any easier.
Her mate's been
gone for several days.
Hungry, she
calls for his return.
But howling announces
her presence,
which is a mistake.
♪♪
Strange wolves are approaching.
♪♪
Alone, without the
protection of a pack,
she and her pups
are in grave danger.
♪♪
It's another breeding pair,
with their adult
offspring, out on patrol.
This is their
territory, their land.
♪♪
Had she stayed silent, they
might not have found her.
♪♪
The hair is raised on
the back of their necks.
They smell... something.
♪♪
She needs to act quickly
and draw them away.
♪♪
She must not fail.
♪♪
She's just as fast
as the Raiders.
But has she succeeded
in leading them away?
♪♪
The Raiders have given
up the chase... for now.
Perhaps the pups are safe.
The Raiders turn and head
back the way they came.
But something
catches their attention.
♪♪
They've picked
up her scent again
and this time head
straight for the den.
♪♪
The breeding
female enters first.
The pups don't stand a chance.
♪♪
Raids like these between
rival packs are not uncommon.
But this is the first time
one has been filmed.
There's nothing their mother
can do to stop the Raiders.
She can't go closer,
or they will kill her, too.
♪♪
Though it may seem cruel,
the Raiders have no choice
but to push back against
those who threaten their territory.
They have their own
pups to care for and protect,
and this is the only way
to ensure their survival.
When rival packs clash,
the largest family
almost always wins,
even if there's a
difference of only one.
The lone female had
five pups in her den.
A year is all it
would have taken
for the balance
of power to shift.
Then she would
have come for them.
At least the pups
did not suffer,
and their bodies
will not go to waste.
♪♪
The deed is done.
The Raiders begin the trek
back to their den, 20 miles west.
Though the tundra may
seem vast and empty,
less than a day's walk is
all that separates rival packs.
No wolf is completely
safe up here.
♪♪
Hours later, the female returns.
♪♪
She only dares approach
when the Raiders have gone.
♪♪
She can smell the Raiders'
presence all around the den.
♪♪
Her den is empty.
She can't stay here
alone in her rivals' territory.
But where will she go?
And will she find
her mate again?
For now, it's best
for her to move on.
♪♪
It's early June, and the
snow continues to melt.
Snow White and Alpha are
staying close to their den,
and for good reason.
Snow White has given
birth to three healthy pups.
The newest members
of the Eureka pack
don't even have
their eyes open yet.
It's unusual to see pups
so young out of the den.
Alpha is a proud father,
and the entire
family is excited.
♪♪
But raising pups
here is no easy task.
When food is scarce, less
than half of all Arctic wolf pups
will survive the summer.
Snow White and Alpha
will need everyone's help
if they are to succeed.
This includes last year's pups,
who must graduate into
full-fledged providers.
But there's another
wolf who's come to help.
A few days ago, a
lone female wandered in
from the distant
ridges to join the pack.
She has a distinctive black
spot at the base of her tail.
Who she is is unclear.
But the pack not
only accepts her,
she's the only other wolf
allowed down in the
den with the pups.
Perhaps she's
Snow White's sister
or a daughter from years past.
With the birth of the pups,
the need to find food
takes on a new urgency.
As the matriarch, Snow
White is usually first to be fed.
But this is a big
pack of 14 wolves,
and their appetites
are insatiable.
Any wolf returning home
gets mobbed from all sides,
and the begging doesn't stop
until they bring up some meat.
The challenge for the pack
is that not everyone
can go out on a hunt.
There always need to
be a few, like Blackspot,
who stay behind and
help protect the den.
They need to be fed, as well.
♪♪
And at last, Blackspot
gets a morsel.
It's only a small bite,
but it will have to last her
for the next couple of days.
Most of the year, the
wolves roam their territory
like nomads.
But during the denning season,
they're forced to
always return to this spot.
They can travel 25 miles
a day in search of food
and be gone for over a week,
constantly crisscrossing
their barren territory
in an endless game
of seek and find.
♪♪
Sometimes, though,
food finds you.
Arctic hares have
wandered close to the den.
A young female tries her luck.
♪♪
Sprinting at 40 miles an hour,
hares and wolves
are an even match.
Whoever stumbles first, loses.
♪♪
Panicked and confused, the
hare runs right up onto the den.
A fatal mistake.
Others aren't
having as much luck.
For Snow White, a single
hare is only small meal.
The burden of producing milk
puts huge demands on her body.
She needs 2 or 3 times
as much food as the others.
Blackspot, despite spending
almost all her
time with the pups,
gets nothing but fur.
If only the pack realized
just how special she is,
she might get more food.
In the spring sunshine,
the pups make
another appearance.
♪♪
Less than two weeks old,
and with their eyes barely open,
the pups are a reminder
of how fragile new life is.
♪♪
With more than one
burrow at the den,
Snow White seems
unsure of where to put them.
Is she sensing something?
Most of the pack is
away with Alpha on a hunt,
so those remaining
must be on constant alert.
Then something
strange appears...
A bedraggled intruder
heading straight for them.
♪♪
Snow White mounts a defense.
Outnumbered and surrounded,
the stranger's assault
is pure madness.
Who is she?
♪♪
The attacker turns and
makes a dash for the den.
Diving in front,
Blackspot gets there first.
She blocks the
entrance with her body.
♪♪
The attacker tries to
squeeze past Blackspot.
They must pull her out,
or she will kill the pups.
♪♪
Maybe they know her,
or else they would
have killed her by now.
Remarkably, Snow White
and Blackspot let her go.
The pups are safe... this time.
♪♪
♪♪
It's late June, and the pups
are growing bigger and stronger.
They're starting to spend more
and more of their day outside.
Blackspot barely leaves
and remains
faithfully by their side.
♪♪
And she's even nursing the pups.
♪♪
She could only do this if
she'd had pups of her own...
somewhere out on the tundra...
before she joined the pack.
But where are her pups now?
And where is her mate?
It's clear that a deep
and meaningful bond
runs between Snow
White and Blackspot.
Why else would they
share life's special gift?
♪♪
Whatever is in their
past, something powerful
compels Blackspot to
care for Snow White's pups
and treat them as her own.
Having two females nurse the
same litter is exceedingly rare.
It's a behavior that's
never been filmed before.
It's no wonder the
pups are thriving.
♪♪
But this happy arrangement
of the pups having two mothers
will prove to be
even more significant
as the Arctic summer wears on.
♪♪
The wolves aren't the only
ones tending to their young.
The Arctic foxes have
a full house of their own,
with plenty of kits
to keep them busy.
♪♪
Everyone is trying to make the
most of the short arctic summer.
♪♪
With so many young,
there's no time for a break.
♪♪
The life of the male
fox is hard enough
without being
dive-bombed by jaegers.
The food hand-off
to his mate is quick,
and there's no
time for him to rest.
He needs to catch 30
more lemmings today.
As the kits get older and
start eating more solid food,
the pair will have to supply
upwards of 100 lemmings a day
to feed so many hungry mouths.
For now, the kits are
more interested in play.
♪♪
But if they won't eat their
dinner, someone else will.
Summer has not been
kind to the Eureka pack.
They haven't made a
muskox kill in over a month.
The pack has scattered.
All the wolves are out on
their own, looking for food.
Snow White has caught
a few smaller prey.
But Blackspot
never leaves the den
and has only old
bones to gnaw on.
♪♪
It's not enough.
She goes hungry. Again.
♪♪
The jaegers have had more
luck finding food than the wolves.
Their chick needs
to grow quickly
if it's to fledge by the
beginning of August.
Insects and lemmings
are all on the menu.
The Arctic hares have
also had their young.
Unlike their parents,
the leverets are
well-camouflaged.
And by staying perfectly
still, they might not be spotted.
The jaegers, however,
have a different strategy
for dealing with predators.
Jaegers spend most of the
year out at sea far from land.
Their wings are made
for riding over the waves
on the open ocean.
♪♪
Dive-bombing a wolf
is barely a challenge.
And while the birds
run interference,
the leveret escapes.
It's mealtime
again at the fox den.
The pair has eleven kits.
With so many mouths to feed,
dinner is first
come, first served.
♪♪
♪♪
At the Eurekas' den,
something is wrong.
♪♪
Blackspot is so weak,
she's barely able to walk.
♪♪
She's fallen gravely ill.
♪♪
After spending all day,
every day, with the pups,
she simply hasn't been eating.
♪♪
Snow White hasn't been
getting enough food, either.
But Blackspot's
pushed herself too far.
♪♪
Alpha senses something's wrong.
Even though she
can barely stand,
Blackspot lets the pups nurse.
Her instinct to care for them
has overridden her own needs.
The rest of the pack
doesn't seem to realize
the gravity of the situation.
♪♪
They're all hungry, but
Blackspot is starving.
♪♪
The next day, Blackspot is dead.
♪♪
Her death is a reminder
that in the Arctic
there are no easy seasons.
Even in summer, the line
between success and failure
is a narrow one.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Snow White faces
a dire situation.
Blackspot's body is
blocking the den entrance,
and the pups
won't leave her side.
♪♪
There's no food, and Snow
White is all on her own.
The others are gone and
won't be back for days.
What should she do?
♪♪
Snow White chooses
to take her pups
and abandon the den.
♪♪
It's a dangerous decision.
Her pups are
still so vulnerable.
They're only 4 weeks old.
Their legs are too
short to go very far.
Normally, Snow White wouldn't
move them for another month.
But staying here
alone is also risky.
♪♪
In the high Arctic, the
threat of a mid-July storm
is never far away.
Snow White and the
pups will need to be careful.
The Raiders patrol their
border a few miles away.
♪♪
As quickly as it comes,
the snow disappears.
♪♪
Guided by experience,
Snow White knows that 20
miles to the west, there's food.
Lots of it.
On Ellesmere Island,
Arctic hares run in herds.
♪♪
If only she can bring
her pups here safely.
♪♪
But her rivals'
territory is not far away.
♪♪
The Raiders take no
interest in the muskox...
because they've
spotted something else.
One of the Eureka pack.
♪♪
He needs to run
while he still can.
♪♪
Alone and out in the
open, he's in trouble.
♪♪
The most dangerous
thing to wolves here...
is other wolves,
and conflicts between packs
are the greatest
cause of wolf deaths.
Between rival packs,
territorial boundaries overlap
and constantly
shift without warning.
For wolves, limiting
competition for food and space
is sometimes just as
important as finding prey.
♪♪
The Eurekas, the Raiders,
and every other pack
here on Ellesmere
are all driven by the same
basic and fundamental desire...
To find food and territory
and defend it with their lives.
♪♪
The Eureka pack
is one wolf down.
It's a terrible loss.
♪♪
♪♪
It's been two long weeks
since Snow White was
forced to leave the den,
and though she's on her own,
remarkably, she has
managed to keep her pups safe.
♪♪
At last, some of
her family finds her.
They've followed her trail,
and now she'll have the help
that she desperately needs.
The pups can only
travel 2 or 3 miles
before they need
a few days to rest.
But with babysitters
now on hand,
Snow White is free to go
hunting in the distant hills,
where leverets are plentiful.
But for every hare
that she catches,
Snow White has to make a
round trip of up to 15 miles.
Now that the pups
are eating solid food,
they can gain half
a pound in a day.
It's taking all her
time and effort
just to keep up with the demand.
This new abundance
comes as a relief,
but its timing is bittersweet.
A week or two earlier
could have made
all the difference
to Blackspot...
and might have seen
her through the lean times.
At least everyone in
the pack will be well-fed
for the first time this summer.
Of course, last year's
pup still wants a handout,
but he's old enough
now to hunt for himself.
A sense of urgency still
drives Snow White westward,
to where vast
fields of cotton grass
mean the grazing is
good for both hares...
and muskox.
♪♪
This is a good time
of year for everyone.
A time to build up
reserves before winter...
and kick back in the summer sun.
But these easy
times are fleeting.
It's the end of July,
and by early September,
temperatures will drift
back far below freezing.
Soon, the dust of summer
will once again be
locked in snow and ice...
for another 8 long months.
♪♪
After an arduous journey,
Snow White and the pups
have finally reached
their destination.
Nestled below the western hills,
there will be enough food
for them here into the autumn.
At last, Alpha joins her again.
The rest of the
Eurekas finally arrive,
and the whole
family is reunited.
The pack can relax
and enjoy what remains of
the summer warmth together.
♪♪
Then... something startles them.
♪♪
A large bull muskox...
wandering right into the
middle of their resting site.
Weighing over 700 pounds,
a bull in his prime is a
force to be reckoned with.
Male muskox are renowned
for being ill-tempered.
But in early August, the
start of the rutting season,
their aggression begins to peak.
During the rut, as they vie for
supremacy and breeding rights,
bulls are often
in a violent mood.
♪♪
And because he weighs
over 5 times as much as a wolf,
this bull could easily
trample the pups
or collapse the tunnels
where they're hiding.
♪♪
It's almost as if he's
spoiling for a fight.
♪♪
The wolves need to be cautious.
One false move, and the bull
could gore them with his horns.
♪♪
But Snow White remains calm.
This isn't the first time she's
encountered a charged-up bull.
♪♪
Tangling with him
isn't worth the risk,
not when there's lots
of other food around.
They might meet
again later, in winter,
once the bitter cold leaves
him in a weakened state.
♪♪
For now, Snow White returns
to more pressing needs.
Her single most
important mission
is to ensure that all her
pups survive and thrive...
including this little one,
with a small black spot
at the base of her tail.
♪♪
These pups are the
lifeblood of the pack,
the ones who will ensure
their continued survival.
Each one is so very precious.
Until they become the Eureka's
protectors and providers,
the pups can rely on the
support of their extended family.
Frigid temperatures and
months of total darkness lie ahead.
But the Eurekas
are Arctic wolves.
And their fortunes will
follow the strength of the pack.
♪♪
♪♪
To learn more about what you've
seen on this "Nature" program,
♪♪
The Arctic is no
place to be a lone wolf.
Prey is scarce...
and it's fierce and well-armed.
Where food sometimes
is plentiful, it's fast.
There's often not
enough to go around.
Up here, what a
wolf needs most...
is family.
A family grows up to be a pack,
and a pack can hold a territory.
Now they have a real chance...
To hunt...
to raise pups...
to prosper in this
seemingly impossible place.
And it's for a family
that a wolf can rise
from determined killer...
to a tender and devoted
member of the pack...
whose loyalty lasts
to the very end.
♪♪
The wolves of the high Arctic
live much of their
lives in darkness.
Here on Canada's
Ellesmere Island,
their dramatic story unfolds
far from human eyes...
a mere 500 miles
from the North Pole.
♪♪
Wolves here have little choice
but to brave the
brutal winter cold
that lasts for 8
months of the year.
♪♪
To survive, they must
face formidable prey...
five times their size and
armed with lethal horns.
♪♪
But a wolf on its own
can't do much against
such intimidating beasts.
♪♪
The strength of muskox in a herd
tells the wolf that without
a pack alongside him,
he should just move on.
♪♪
It's late March,
and the Eureka
pack is finishing up
what's left of a bull muskox
they killed two weeks ago.
The pack has been
fortunate this year.
The winter snow
was unusually deep,
which left many muskox
weak and vulnerable.
The Eureka wolves are thriving,
thanks to the care and guidance
of Snow White and Alpha,
the breeding pair who
now return to their family.
For wolves, family
means everything.
It's the single most
important thing in their lives.
The bonds of love
and loyalty run deep,
even if they do sometimes
squabble over leftovers.
♪♪
To live in this icy
realm, so far north,
animals need to be special.
Ellesmere Island
is a polar desert
that receives little more
than 3 inches of rain a year.
Food here is almost
always frozen and buried.
Adapted to life in a freezer,
muskox and Arctic hares
are masters at
conserving energy.
It's the only way
they can survive
on the sparse twigs
and dry grasses here.
But times are changing.
Warmer winters bring
deeper snow and freezing rain,
locking what little vegetation
there is under an icy crust.
♪♪
Changes such as these
also threaten the wolves,
by disturbing the
delicate balance
of life in the north.
When the Eureka pack
makes a kill, they waste nothing.
At minus 40, frozen
bones can shatter teeth,
but the fatty marrow inside
is too precious to waste.
A lone female from outside the
pack approaches the carcass.
Snow White and Alpha are
nearby, so she's taking a risk.
♪♪
Hunger makes her desperate.
But Snow White and
Alpha do not approve.
♪♪
Membership in the
pack is exclusive,
and the breeding pair alone
decides who may
stay and who must go.
♪♪
These last scraps
are not for her.
There's not much left...
and not long before
they'll have to kill again.
♪♪
Forced to leave, this female
will have to strike
out on her own.
In this frozen land, life
is harsh for outcasts...
without a family
like the Eureka pack
to shelter and protect them.
♪♪
It's not that wolves
are cruel or kind.
It's the Arctic itself
that is so unforgiving.
♪♪
Yet, as the weeks go
by, winter slowly retreats.
The snow cover
begins to melt away.
For all animals, it's a sprint
to make the most of
a short Arctic summer.
The race starts now.
♪♪
♪♪
An Arctic fox.
♪♪
This nimble hunter
stays light on his feet,
so as not to betray his presence
to what lays hidden below.
♪♪
A lemming.
Lemmings don't hibernate,
a crucially important
fact for the Arctic fox.
He's almost completely
reliant on these small creatures,
who ride out the worst
of the winter weather
in their labyrinth of
tunnels under the snow.
♪♪
The lone female
is out on the tundra.
♪♪
She has wandered
the ridges and valleys
for the last several weeks,
searching for a
very special place...
a place that she
can call home...
for herself...
and her new pups.
♪♪
Tucked down in a
small river valley,
her den is perfect
for keeping her pups
warm, dry, and out of sight.
She has started a
family of her own,
the foundations of a new pack.
♪♪
The transition
into spring is swift.
The sun now circles
24 hours a day.
♪♪
But just because
the snow is melting
doesn't mean life is any easier.
Her mate's been
gone for several days.
Hungry, she
calls for his return.
But howling announces
her presence,
which is a mistake.
♪♪
Strange wolves are approaching.
♪♪
Alone, without the
protection of a pack,
she and her pups
are in grave danger.
♪♪
It's another breeding pair,
with their adult
offspring, out on patrol.
This is their
territory, their land.
♪♪
Had she stayed silent, they
might not have found her.
♪♪
The hair is raised on
the back of their necks.
They smell... something.
♪♪
She needs to act quickly
and draw them away.
♪♪
She must not fail.
♪♪
She's just as fast
as the Raiders.
But has she succeeded
in leading them away?
♪♪
The Raiders have given
up the chase... for now.
Perhaps the pups are safe.
The Raiders turn and head
back the way they came.
But something
catches their attention.
♪♪
They've picked
up her scent again
and this time head
straight for the den.
♪♪
The breeding
female enters first.
The pups don't stand a chance.
♪♪
Raids like these between
rival packs are not uncommon.
But this is the first time
one has been filmed.
There's nothing their mother
can do to stop the Raiders.
She can't go closer,
or they will kill her, too.
♪♪
Though it may seem cruel,
the Raiders have no choice
but to push back against
those who threaten their territory.
They have their own
pups to care for and protect,
and this is the only way
to ensure their survival.
When rival packs clash,
the largest family
almost always wins,
even if there's a
difference of only one.
The lone female had
five pups in her den.
A year is all it
would have taken
for the balance
of power to shift.
Then she would
have come for them.
At least the pups
did not suffer,
and their bodies
will not go to waste.
♪♪
The deed is done.
The Raiders begin the trek
back to their den, 20 miles west.
Though the tundra may
seem vast and empty,
less than a day's walk is
all that separates rival packs.
No wolf is completely
safe up here.
♪♪
Hours later, the female returns.
♪♪
She only dares approach
when the Raiders have gone.
♪♪
She can smell the Raiders'
presence all around the den.
♪♪
Her den is empty.
She can't stay here
alone in her rivals' territory.
But where will she go?
And will she find
her mate again?
For now, it's best
for her to move on.
♪♪
It's early June, and the
snow continues to melt.
Snow White and Alpha are
staying close to their den,
and for good reason.
Snow White has given
birth to three healthy pups.
The newest members
of the Eureka pack
don't even have
their eyes open yet.
It's unusual to see pups
so young out of the den.
Alpha is a proud father,
and the entire
family is excited.
♪♪
But raising pups
here is no easy task.
When food is scarce, less
than half of all Arctic wolf pups
will survive the summer.
Snow White and Alpha
will need everyone's help
if they are to succeed.
This includes last year's pups,
who must graduate into
full-fledged providers.
But there's another
wolf who's come to help.
A few days ago, a
lone female wandered in
from the distant
ridges to join the pack.
She has a distinctive black
spot at the base of her tail.
Who she is is unclear.
But the pack not
only accepts her,
she's the only other wolf
allowed down in the
den with the pups.
Perhaps she's
Snow White's sister
or a daughter from years past.
With the birth of the pups,
the need to find food
takes on a new urgency.
As the matriarch, Snow
White is usually first to be fed.
But this is a big
pack of 14 wolves,
and their appetites
are insatiable.
Any wolf returning home
gets mobbed from all sides,
and the begging doesn't stop
until they bring up some meat.
The challenge for the pack
is that not everyone
can go out on a hunt.
There always need to
be a few, like Blackspot,
who stay behind and
help protect the den.
They need to be fed, as well.
♪♪
And at last, Blackspot
gets a morsel.
It's only a small bite,
but it will have to last her
for the next couple of days.
Most of the year, the
wolves roam their territory
like nomads.
But during the denning season,
they're forced to
always return to this spot.
They can travel 25 miles
a day in search of food
and be gone for over a week,
constantly crisscrossing
their barren territory
in an endless game
of seek and find.
♪♪
Sometimes, though,
food finds you.
Arctic hares have
wandered close to the den.
A young female tries her luck.
♪♪
Sprinting at 40 miles an hour,
hares and wolves
are an even match.
Whoever stumbles first, loses.
♪♪
Panicked and confused, the
hare runs right up onto the den.
A fatal mistake.
Others aren't
having as much luck.
For Snow White, a single
hare is only small meal.
The burden of producing milk
puts huge demands on her body.
She needs 2 or 3 times
as much food as the others.
Blackspot, despite spending
almost all her
time with the pups,
gets nothing but fur.
If only the pack realized
just how special she is,
she might get more food.
In the spring sunshine,
the pups make
another appearance.
♪♪
Less than two weeks old,
and with their eyes barely open,
the pups are a reminder
of how fragile new life is.
♪♪
With more than one
burrow at the den,
Snow White seems
unsure of where to put them.
Is she sensing something?
Most of the pack is
away with Alpha on a hunt,
so those remaining
must be on constant alert.
Then something
strange appears...
A bedraggled intruder
heading straight for them.
♪♪
Snow White mounts a defense.
Outnumbered and surrounded,
the stranger's assault
is pure madness.
Who is she?
♪♪
The attacker turns and
makes a dash for the den.
Diving in front,
Blackspot gets there first.
She blocks the
entrance with her body.
♪♪
The attacker tries to
squeeze past Blackspot.
They must pull her out,
or she will kill the pups.
♪♪
Maybe they know her,
or else they would
have killed her by now.
Remarkably, Snow White
and Blackspot let her go.
The pups are safe... this time.
♪♪
♪♪
It's late June, and the pups
are growing bigger and stronger.
They're starting to spend more
and more of their day outside.
Blackspot barely leaves
and remains
faithfully by their side.
♪♪
And she's even nursing the pups.
♪♪
She could only do this if
she'd had pups of her own...
somewhere out on the tundra...
before she joined the pack.
But where are her pups now?
And where is her mate?
It's clear that a deep
and meaningful bond
runs between Snow
White and Blackspot.
Why else would they
share life's special gift?
♪♪
Whatever is in their
past, something powerful
compels Blackspot to
care for Snow White's pups
and treat them as her own.
Having two females nurse the
same litter is exceedingly rare.
It's a behavior that's
never been filmed before.
It's no wonder the
pups are thriving.
♪♪
But this happy arrangement
of the pups having two mothers
will prove to be
even more significant
as the Arctic summer wears on.
♪♪
The wolves aren't the only
ones tending to their young.
The Arctic foxes have
a full house of their own,
with plenty of kits
to keep them busy.
♪♪
Everyone is trying to make the
most of the short arctic summer.
♪♪
With so many young,
there's no time for a break.
♪♪
The life of the male
fox is hard enough
without being
dive-bombed by jaegers.
The food hand-off
to his mate is quick,
and there's no
time for him to rest.
He needs to catch 30
more lemmings today.
As the kits get older and
start eating more solid food,
the pair will have to supply
upwards of 100 lemmings a day
to feed so many hungry mouths.
For now, the kits are
more interested in play.
♪♪
But if they won't eat their
dinner, someone else will.
Summer has not been
kind to the Eureka pack.
They haven't made a
muskox kill in over a month.
The pack has scattered.
All the wolves are out on
their own, looking for food.
Snow White has caught
a few smaller prey.
But Blackspot
never leaves the den
and has only old
bones to gnaw on.
♪♪
It's not enough.
She goes hungry. Again.
♪♪
The jaegers have had more
luck finding food than the wolves.
Their chick needs
to grow quickly
if it's to fledge by the
beginning of August.
Insects and lemmings
are all on the menu.
The Arctic hares have
also had their young.
Unlike their parents,
the leverets are
well-camouflaged.
And by staying perfectly
still, they might not be spotted.
The jaegers, however,
have a different strategy
for dealing with predators.
Jaegers spend most of the
year out at sea far from land.
Their wings are made
for riding over the waves
on the open ocean.
♪♪
Dive-bombing a wolf
is barely a challenge.
And while the birds
run interference,
the leveret escapes.
It's mealtime
again at the fox den.
The pair has eleven kits.
With so many mouths to feed,
dinner is first
come, first served.
♪♪
♪♪
At the Eurekas' den,
something is wrong.
♪♪
Blackspot is so weak,
she's barely able to walk.
♪♪
She's fallen gravely ill.
♪♪
After spending all day,
every day, with the pups,
she simply hasn't been eating.
♪♪
Snow White hasn't been
getting enough food, either.
But Blackspot's
pushed herself too far.
♪♪
Alpha senses something's wrong.
Even though she
can barely stand,
Blackspot lets the pups nurse.
Her instinct to care for them
has overridden her own needs.
The rest of the pack
doesn't seem to realize
the gravity of the situation.
♪♪
They're all hungry, but
Blackspot is starving.
♪♪
The next day, Blackspot is dead.
♪♪
Her death is a reminder
that in the Arctic
there are no easy seasons.
Even in summer, the line
between success and failure
is a narrow one.
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Snow White faces
a dire situation.
Blackspot's body is
blocking the den entrance,
and the pups
won't leave her side.
♪♪
There's no food, and Snow
White is all on her own.
The others are gone and
won't be back for days.
What should she do?
♪♪
Snow White chooses
to take her pups
and abandon the den.
♪♪
It's a dangerous decision.
Her pups are
still so vulnerable.
They're only 4 weeks old.
Their legs are too
short to go very far.
Normally, Snow White wouldn't
move them for another month.
But staying here
alone is also risky.
♪♪
In the high Arctic, the
threat of a mid-July storm
is never far away.
Snow White and the
pups will need to be careful.
The Raiders patrol their
border a few miles away.
♪♪
As quickly as it comes,
the snow disappears.
♪♪
Guided by experience,
Snow White knows that 20
miles to the west, there's food.
Lots of it.
On Ellesmere Island,
Arctic hares run in herds.
♪♪
If only she can bring
her pups here safely.
♪♪
But her rivals'
territory is not far away.
♪♪
The Raiders take no
interest in the muskox...
because they've
spotted something else.
One of the Eureka pack.
♪♪
He needs to run
while he still can.
♪♪
Alone and out in the
open, he's in trouble.
♪♪
The most dangerous
thing to wolves here...
is other wolves,
and conflicts between packs
are the greatest
cause of wolf deaths.
Between rival packs,
territorial boundaries overlap
and constantly
shift without warning.
For wolves, limiting
competition for food and space
is sometimes just as
important as finding prey.
♪♪
The Eurekas, the Raiders,
and every other pack
here on Ellesmere
are all driven by the same
basic and fundamental desire...
To find food and territory
and defend it with their lives.
♪♪
The Eureka pack
is one wolf down.
It's a terrible loss.
♪♪
♪♪
It's been two long weeks
since Snow White was
forced to leave the den,
and though she's on her own,
remarkably, she has
managed to keep her pups safe.
♪♪
At last, some of
her family finds her.
They've followed her trail,
and now she'll have the help
that she desperately needs.
The pups can only
travel 2 or 3 miles
before they need
a few days to rest.
But with babysitters
now on hand,
Snow White is free to go
hunting in the distant hills,
where leverets are plentiful.
But for every hare
that she catches,
Snow White has to make a
round trip of up to 15 miles.
Now that the pups
are eating solid food,
they can gain half
a pound in a day.
It's taking all her
time and effort
just to keep up with the demand.
This new abundance
comes as a relief,
but its timing is bittersweet.
A week or two earlier
could have made
all the difference
to Blackspot...
and might have seen
her through the lean times.
At least everyone in
the pack will be well-fed
for the first time this summer.
Of course, last year's
pup still wants a handout,
but he's old enough
now to hunt for himself.
A sense of urgency still
drives Snow White westward,
to where vast
fields of cotton grass
mean the grazing is
good for both hares...
and muskox.
♪♪
This is a good time
of year for everyone.
A time to build up
reserves before winter...
and kick back in the summer sun.
But these easy
times are fleeting.
It's the end of July,
and by early September,
temperatures will drift
back far below freezing.
Soon, the dust of summer
will once again be
locked in snow and ice...
for another 8 long months.
♪♪
After an arduous journey,
Snow White and the pups
have finally reached
their destination.
Nestled below the western hills,
there will be enough food
for them here into the autumn.
At last, Alpha joins her again.
The rest of the
Eurekas finally arrive,
and the whole
family is reunited.
The pack can relax
and enjoy what remains of
the summer warmth together.
♪♪
Then... something startles them.
♪♪
A large bull muskox...
wandering right into the
middle of their resting site.
Weighing over 700 pounds,
a bull in his prime is a
force to be reckoned with.
Male muskox are renowned
for being ill-tempered.
But in early August, the
start of the rutting season,
their aggression begins to peak.
During the rut, as they vie for
supremacy and breeding rights,
bulls are often
in a violent mood.
♪♪
And because he weighs
over 5 times as much as a wolf,
this bull could easily
trample the pups
or collapse the tunnels
where they're hiding.
♪♪
It's almost as if he's
spoiling for a fight.
♪♪
The wolves need to be cautious.
One false move, and the bull
could gore them with his horns.
♪♪
But Snow White remains calm.
This isn't the first time she's
encountered a charged-up bull.
♪♪
Tangling with him
isn't worth the risk,
not when there's lots
of other food around.
They might meet
again later, in winter,
once the bitter cold leaves
him in a weakened state.
♪♪
For now, Snow White returns
to more pressing needs.
Her single most
important mission
is to ensure that all her
pups survive and thrive...
including this little one,
with a small black spot
at the base of her tail.
♪♪
These pups are the
lifeblood of the pack,
the ones who will ensure
their continued survival.
Each one is so very precious.
Until they become the Eureka's
protectors and providers,
the pups can rely on the
support of their extended family.
Frigid temperatures and
months of total darkness lie ahead.
But the Eurekas
are Arctic wolves.
And their fortunes will
follow the strength of the pack.
♪♪
♪♪
To learn more about what you've
seen on this "Nature" program,
♪♪