Through the heart of the frozen north, roams a creature with a mystique as old as the mountains -- and a reputation as big as all outdoors. . .

Wolverine.  The name conjures images of the wild, the savage – the untamable.  Legend paints it as a solitary killer who takes down prey as large as moose, crushing bones to powder with its powerful jaws. 

But there is another image of the wolverine emerging -- one of an animal far more vulnerable than it is villainous.  In this one-hour film for NATURE, we’ll travel deep into the secretive world of this mysterious carnivore with the bold few who have spent years on the wolverine’s trail – and one man who has come to know them as family. 

As we meet this phantom face to face, we find an unsung hero of the wild with a fierce appetite for survival… and for surprise.

Wolver-What??

When I told people I was making a film about wolverines, the most common response was, “Wow, wolverines!  Now tell me, how are they different then wolves?”  When I revealed that they were of no relation to wolves, but rather the largest land dwelling weasel, I was met with looks of intrigued confusion.  Most people don’t know what a wolverine is -- and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.  Wolverines simply enjoy their privacy and tend to stay out of people’s way. 

I knew from the start that this is an animal that needed its face out there and its story told.  I also knew that this would not be an easy feat.  First off, they are rare (numbering only a few hundred in the Lower 48 States).  Secondly, their habitat is remote and downright ferocious.   And finally, they move over vast distances at a constant clip -- 20 miles in a day is nothing to a wolverine, despite their ten-inch legs!  It’s no wonder they are among the least studied -- let alone filmed -- animals on the planet. 

In order to make the film, I had to find the folks who have met this phantom.  My small crew and I spent over a year in the field (on skis and snowshoes, by boat and helicopter) filming the superhuman pursuits of people like Rick Yates, Jeff Copeland, Audrey Magoun, and Doug Chadwick, who have made astounding revelations about this animal and who are wildly devoted to their protection.  As tenacious and tough as the critters they study, these impassioned biologists are hell-bent on revealing who the wolverine really is.

We also meet Steve Kroschel, a wildlife filmmaker who is raising a pair of orphaned wolverine twins at his refuge in Alaska.  Without their mother to learn from, Steve must teach the orphans how to grow up wolverine.  Through his first-hand experience, we are given exclusive access to a social side of the wolverine that has never been seen before.  

As we parallel wolverine life in the wild with Steve’s orphans in captivity, we begin to lift the veil that surrounds these elusive phantoms.  And as myths are dispelled, we find a multi-faceted animal with immense vitality, fierce independence, and a striking capacity to survive.

From a Film to a Mission: 

I didn’t merely want to put the species on the radar, I want to create a place for them in the hearts of the public.  I want people to fall in love with them as characters, as individuals.  Though this film will have a broadcast life through Nature and National Geographic Channel International, it’s the outreach I am most excited about.  We are using the film in community venues to raise awareness about wolverines at a critical time -- they are being petitioned for protection under the Endangered Species Act this coming winter.  We can’t save a species if people don’t care about it and it’s my greatest hope that this film will do its part to help them garner a few new friends.  

Please tune in November 14th, 2010 at 8pm on NATURE!