Hi, I'm bill pullman.
When I first came to montana 40 years ago,
I didn't realize something was missing
From this place that seems so wild.
Wolves were gone,
And grizzly bears were critically endangered.
But all that was about to change.
Yellowstone national park became the stage
For a groundbreaking comeback--
The return of these iconic animals.
But while we imagine them as invincible,
You are about to see that their lives are full of hardship.
A grizzly mom raising cubs has to always be on guard,
And a wolf without a pack
Doesn't have much of a chance to survive.
This is the story of the return of the predators.
Yellowstone.
It began with an idea, a bold experiment:
To protect the wonders of the natural world.
But for nearly a century a mighty force was missing.
Icons, hunted and feared.
For all its beauty, yellowstone was in chaos.
A land out of balance.
Until the return of the predators.
[roaring]
The gray wolf has reclaimed its territory.
Grizzlies are taking back the throne.
In the struggle of the chase
And the tireless battle for survival...
Life for a hunter is never easy.
A legendary mother guards her legacy.
And a lone wolf searches desperately to find a pack.
[barking]
[howling]
This is yellowstone reborn.
The dawn of a new era for both predators and prey.
[growl]
[thunder]
[growling]
[birds squawking]
[chirping]
Mountain bluebirds herald the arrival of spring
In yellowstone.
But nothing announces the season
Like a mighty grizzly waking from hibernation.
♪
Hunger drives him down to the valley,
Guided by a familiar scent.
His nose, seven times stronger than a bloodhound's,
Brings him straight to the source.
A winter-kill bison carcass.
[grunts]
A rich source of protein
Unlocked by fast-melting ice and snow.
♪
But it's also attracted another.
A lone wolf.
A curious adolescent named blacktail.
Like many young males, he's left behind the security of his pack
To strike out on his own.
But blacktail is already treading on thin ice.
♪
It's a rare encounter:
Two top predators going toe-to-toe.
The old boar holds his ground.
Position is everything.
But what blacktail lacks in experience,
He makes up for with bravado.
He taunts the boar with a playful bow.
He's hungry, and he's testing the limits.
A single swipe could kill.
♪
[roaring]
Blacktail could outrun the bear,
But he stays close, daring him to keep up.
[roaring]
Luring him farther and farther from the carcass.
[roar]
♪
The boar has had enough.
Blacktail is playing a dangerous game.
But this time his strategy worked.
Though he may not keep the prize for long.
[howling]
[barking]
Coyotes.
Three of them.
Seeing that blacktail's alone,
They form an alliance and move in.
[growling]
Wolves are usually top dog,
But the coyotes come at him from all sides.
[growling]
He's never faced a gang like this before.
[yipping]
♪
[growl]
Relentless, organized,
The coyotes chase him off,
And swiftly take possession.
Blacktail will go hungry.
[hooves rumbling]
Out here, a lone wolf is a vulnerable wolf.
Every moment without allies, without territory,
Blacktail's at risk.
[grunting]
[bison bellows]
Life on his own isn't just difficult;
It may be impossible.
He must find a pack
Before it's too late.
♪
Spring crests with a wave of green
That rises up from the valley floor
And rushes across the plateau.
Yellowstone's great herds are returning
To one of the last open ranges in north america.
Bison, elk and pronghorn migrate into the park by the thousands
In pursuit of lush, green forage.
These herds once became so numerous,
They overgrazed yellowstone's rich valleys,
Leaving them damaged and depleted.
But now, in spring's fervor,
A resurgent force works to keep the system in balance:
The wolf pack.
This is the wapiti pack.
The largest in yellowstone.
A family in its prime.
20 members strong...
And still growing.
[barking]
They roam the vast interior of yellowstone,
A territory of 200 square miles.
Perfect wolf habitat.
But until recently, gray wolves were gone from this landscape.
A century ago, predators were seen as the enemy of progress.
Eliminated from nearly all of their former range.
Scientists had not yet discovered
That an ecosystem cannot thrive without both prey and predator.
In 1926, park rangers shot yellowstone's last wolf.
No one understood the consequences.
But 70 years later, in the winter of 1995,
Two horse-drawn sleighs carried 15 gray wolves
Captured in canada
And released them in the yellowstone backcountry.
It was the beginning
Of one of the most ambitious restoration projects in history.
♪
No one knew if the wolves would stay,
If they could thrive in an unfamiliar place.
Or what the long-term effects of their presence would bring
To the yellowstone ecosystem.
But it didn't take long
For the wolves to make yellowstone their home.
[barking]
The revival of the hunt
Returned the most primary dynamic to yellowstone...
A predator pursuing its prey.
[barking]
Thanks to the return of the wolf,
The world's first national park is now recognized
As one of the only intact ecosystems of its kind.
[howling]
Today, more than 100 descendants of this endeavor
Roam yellowstone.
The thriving wolf packs keep the grazing herds in check.
But they're not the only force reshaping yellowstone.
High in the alpine, another top predator is on the rise
And beginning a rite of spring.
A boar grizzly, racing towards the object of his desire:
A female.
[growl]
The marathon of grizzly courtship, rarely witnessed,
Is a test of wills and endurance.
The reluctant female can run in bursts up to 35 miles per hour.
The boar must keep pace or risk losing her to a rival.
[grunts]
So far, she seems unimpressed.
The pursuit could last for days.
[roar]
Finally she slows her pace and allows him close.
[roar]
But not too close.
[roaring]
After a long chase, the female turns and greets her suitor.
His trial is over.
A fleeting moment of union that may live on
With the next generation of yellowstone grizzlies.
If all goes well, by next spring,
She'll have cubs at her side.
Down in the valley,
Two of this year's cubs have just emerged from their den.
[cub groans]
A legendary mother leads the way.
Her name is quad-mom.
The matriarch of yellowstone.
One of the most revered grizzly sows in park history.
In spring 2010, she emerged with four cubs,
One of only a handful of quadruplets
Ever observed in yellowstone.
Quad-mom earned her name.
Her fame spread,
And so did her many offspring,
Who now range through the greater yellowstone ecosystem.
Her legacy has helped bring grizzlies
Back from the brink of extinction.
40 years ago, the yellowstone grizzly
Was placed on the endangered species list.
At the time, fewer than 150 bears remained in the park,
Their numbers decimated
By a century of conflict with humans.
But, once protected, grizzlies flourished.
Today, more than 700 grizzlies call yellowstone home.
Quad-mom is now more than 20 years old.
Time is no longer on her side.
She's among the oldest wild grizzlies ever to breed.
These young cubs could be the last of her many litters.
And the rising number of bears in yellowstone
Has created a new challenge:
Competition.
A gash raked across her forehead is a sign of recent trouble.
It's the mark of an aggressive boar.
A territorial male will kill cubs
To bring a sow back into estrus.
She can't let her guard down.
♪
She catches wind of something...
Just over the horizon.
[grunting]
The boar's scent has given him away.
Time to leave...
And quickly.
♪
[cub cries]
[thunder]
[rain falling]
♪
By late June, abundant rain and maximum daylight
Drive an explosion of growth.
♪
[thunder]
♪
On cue, yellowstone's herds are brimming with new life.
♪
But where prey are many, predators are never far.
This is the mollies pack,
Celebrated as one of the first packs to form
After the wolf reintroduction.
For more than 20 years they've ruled the lamar valley,
Limiting the elk herd to a healthy size.
But their reign is no longer certain.
The mollies honed their skills hunting elk.
But this time they've set their sights
On something more difficult.
As elk become less plentiful, bison fill the void.
Reviving the bison hunt may be the key
To the mollies' continued success.
A wall of horns and hooves stands guard.
Instinctively, mothers shield their calves.
And when danger threatens, the herd closes ranks.
[growling]
[bark]
The pack creates confusion,
Trying to shake the calf loose from the herd,
Probing for any weakness.
Wolves are built for stamina.
[grunts]
The chase is on.
♪
The bison hunt is a new test for both predator and prey.
An ancient struggle missing for nearly a century has returned.
As the mollies push the bison uphill,
A lone wolf appears out of the sage:
Blacktail.
Still alone, still hungry,
And still desperate.
He sneaks in to grab a share of the elk carcass
While the pack's distracted.
In the mollies' territory, it's a dangerous move.
At any moment, the wolf pack could return to defend its kill.
♪
The interloper has been spotted.
♪
The mollies won't tolerate blacktail
Stealing from their elk kill.
This is their turf.
The trespasser must be hunted down.
It's an aggressive display that's hardly ever witnessed.
♪
[snarling, yelping]
[splash]
Blacktail is trapped in the creek.
[barking]
The pack closes in.
[barking, howling]
[groans]
[squawking]
Tattered, soaked to the bone,
Blacktail is lucky to escape alive.
[drinking]
♪
If he can't find a pack, his luck will run out.
♪
These are the trials of a lone wolf.
All he can do is lick his wounds and struggle on.
The resurgence of wolves and bears in yellowstone
Shifts the dynamic not just for prey,
But also for other predators.
[bison grunts]
Chief among them, the coyote.
When wolves were gone and bears few,
The coyote population skyrocketed.
Now, the balance has changed.
Wolves chase down coyotes at every opportunity.
Bears are equally menacing.
[roar]
Only three years after wolf reintroduction,
The number of coyotes dropped by half.
But the genius of the coyote is in its adaptability.
With larger prey claimed by bigger predators,
Coyotes shift their focus to smaller quarry.
Take away one food source, and another pops up.
A vole, a small social rodent weighing less than two ounces.
With sharp hearing and swift reflexes,
The coyote makes quick work of the colony.
♪
[squeaking]
♪
[squeaking]
It looks easy.
But there's a catch:
Smaller prey means he needs more.
Especially because he has other mouths to feed.
♪
[growling]
[yelping]
As wolves and bears reclaim yellowstone,
Coyote numbers may never return to their peak.
But outside yellowstone, it's another story.
Unlike larger carnivores,
Coyotes have adapted well to human habitat.
They're dramatically expanding from their historical range,
Spreading to the farthest corners of north america
And beyond.
[grumbling]
By August, quad-mom's cubs
Are gaining almost two pounds per day,
And growing friskier by the minute.
[cub groans]
Keeping them fed and out of trouble is a full-time job.
[groaning]
But taking a break to escape the summer heat is awfully tempting.
♪
The cubs aren't so sure.
They'd rather stay on the run.
But they'll need all the energy they can muster,
Because they're about to embark on an epic journey.
The nursing cubs have a constant demand for food.
Quad-mom knows a secret source of calories.
But it means leaving behind the lush valley...
[rocks clattering]
Leading the cubs into a completely different world.
♪
[screech]
♪
She climbs to a remote face of yellowstone
Few have ever laid eyes on.
It's an unexpected destination for a large carnivore.
But each August, a hidden feast lures bears to the high alpine.
Quad-mom is not alone.
The mountains are crawling with grizzlies.
♪
At first glance, it's a barren landscape.
But nestled among the rocks, a splash of color.
Alpine wildflowers.
Their sweet nectar attracts
Hundreds of thousands of army cutworm moths.
These are what the bears have come for.
Each August, the moths migrate in swarms from the great plains.
The fattened insects burrow deep into crevices during the day,
Hidden away from intense sunlight.
Until a hungry intruder disrupts the peace.
During the feast,
The grizzlies each gorge on 40,000 moths per day,
20,000 calories,
The richest bounty of fat and protein in all of yellowstone.
Quad-mom has perfectly timed her arrival
To take advantage of this brief abundance.
She'll consume half her annual calories in only 30 days.
A vital stockpile for winter.
Even the cubs have caught on,
Relishing their first moths in the alpine.
♪
In yellowstone, survival hinges upon
Heeding natural, predictable cycles.
But in rare cases, the fundamental rules of nature
Appear to turn upside down.
And day turns into night.
♪
The midday sun is fading.
A sudden chill grips the air.
The buzz of insects quiets,
And the feeding frenzy comes to a halt.
All across yellowstone,
Darkness descends.
♪
Traveling at 1,800 miles per hour,
The moon's shadow slices a narrow path
Across north america.
♪
A total solar eclipse blankets yellowstone
In a fleeting aura of darkness.
♪
The cosmic fireworks last only two minutes.
♪
As suddenly as they vanished, light and warmth return.
♪
Yellowstone will not experience totality again for 235 years.
♪
[elk bugles]
In autumn, another cycle of change is under way.
The great herds reverse their flow,
Leaving the high country in droves.
And with good reason.
Winter comes early to yellowstone.
♪
Summer's bounty is gone.
By November, food becomes too scarce.
Quad-mom has no choice but to hibernate.
She's prepared well.
Since spring, she's gained 30% more body weight.
For the next five months,
She and the cubs will rely on this stored energy.
But it may not be enough.
Only half of all cubs reach a second spring.
♪
As grizzlies retreat to the safety of their dens,
Another predator rises to the challenge.
[howling]
This is the season of the wolf.
While others battle the elements,
Wolves are in their prime.
Their success is tied to the collective strength of the pack.
♪
Blacktail has beaten the odds to survive this long,
But winter's wrath could be fatal for a lone wolf.
In this lean season, every meal is critical.
And hiding among the willows
Is what looks like a perfect opportunity.
A wounded bull elk, half-frozen at the water's edge.
A wolf pack would go straight for the kill.
But alone, blacktail has almost no chance of taking it down.
♪
He must wait until the bull gives out.
♪
But time is not in his favor.
Far across the valley, a legion is gathering:
The wapiti pack.
More than 20 wolves strong,
They travel in formation, searching for prey.
They follow the river, unhurried,
Until, in unison, they spot something.
[panting]
The wounded elk.
Blacktail holds his ground in the meadow.
He can't afford to abandon this chance of a meal.
The wapitis gather in the timber.
They're staging for an ambush just as night is falling.
[howling]
But in the rugged terrain high above the valley floor,
Another ambush has already taken place.
A white-tailed deer is carefully cached in the snow.
The victim of yellowstone's most elusive predator:
The mountain lion.
[purring]
♪
[purrs]
♪
Her kitten follows.
♪
They visit the cache together, feeding only at night.
[purring]
Under a cloak of darkness,
She avoids detection by other predators.
The unrivaled stealth of mountain lions
Allowed a small population to persist
Even as wolves and bears declined.
Alone on top of the food chain,
The big cats had little competition.
The kitten is only eight weeks old;
Far too young to accompany mom on hunts.
But throughout its first year,
The cub will develop the trademark killing bite
That lions use to attack prey.
And they'll begin to hunt together.
♪
In secret, mom and kitten have gotten their fill.
But as daylight approaches,
They cache the deer and retrace their steps...
Back to their den.
♪
The sun rises on what little remains of the old bull elk.
The wapitis' night ambush was a success.
20 wolves fed on their prize and vanished,
Leaving only scraps for ravens and coyotes.
Blacktail is nowhere to be seen.
The wapitis are already moving on.
A pack this size never rests.
They must kill an elk every two to three days.
But this time, they're on the trail of an even larger prize.
♪
On the heels of the pack, a lone figure straggles behind.
Blacktail.
Following the wapitis as they March on
To a bison hunt.
By late winter, as snow piles higher in yellowstone,
Grazers become less mobile; more vulnerable.
Their weakness is another's strength.
For the wapiti pack,
These are the conditions in which they thrive.
[howling]
Their energy is at an all-time high.
They're feeding on their biggest kill yet:
An adult bison.
It's a new era for both predator and prey.
The balance of power has shifted to the wolf pack.
Only a few packs in yellowstone have ever achieved
The mythical status of true bison hunters.
Now, the wapitis are among them.
As the alphas finish their turn at the carcass,
A familiar face appears:
Blacktail.
♪
He makes his move.
[squawking]
♪
But blacktail has nothing to fear.
He's already one of them.
He's joined the ranks of the wapitis.
♪
It's a rare case.
A young outsider has secured a place
Within the established pack.
They've accepted him.
And they will be his lifeline.
But he offers something in return.
Now that the wapitis have a taste for bison,
An additional member increases their chances of success.
In blacktail, the pack has gained a loyal foot soldier
Who will hunt and defend at all costs.
After the trials he's faced alone,
He's finally found a large extended family:
The strongest pack in yellowstone.
[howling]
But as the seasons turn and spring banishes the snow,
Everything is once again in flux.
So begins another cycle in yellowstone.
And the competition has returned.
It's quad-mom with both her cubs.
The family has survived its first winter.
And it's time to make up for six months without food.
This time, the year-old cubs are ready to hunt.
♪
Spring delivers their first opportunity:
Newborn elk calves.
[calf yelps]
During peak calving, the bears will hunt around the clock.
Elk calves are born scentless.
Only able to run for short bursts,
They stay hidden deep in the sage.
♪
The only way to find them is to flush them out.
It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
But this is a game quad-mom has played before.
[calf yelps]
♪
[growls]
Sensing an opportunity, a coyote joins the hunt.
[bear growls]
He's on to something.
[grunts]
♪
But it's only a hare; much too fast.
[grunting]
♪
Now, he's on target.
[roaring]
[bugling]
[calf squealing]
But the calf isn't going down without a fight.
[bugling]
Alerted by the struggle, quad-mom joins the chase.
♪
[calf squealing]
[yelp]
[bugling]
The cow elk rushes to her calf's defense.
[squealing]
♪
But there's nothing she can do.
♪
With their mother's guidance,
The cubs have learned the way of the predator.
They will now play a vital role in shaping yellowstone.
In the span of a single lifetime,
Quad-mom has presided over a remarkable transformation.
The restoration of an ancient balance.
The return of yellowstone's wild heart.
A place where the story of predators lives on.
But beyond these borders, a new frontier beckons.
Wolves and grizzlies are still gone
From most of their historic range.
But given freedom to roam,
Their legacy will continue to grow,
From the place where it all began:
Yellowstone, the world's first national park.
It's rare to have such a conservation success story,
And it's another reason to celebrate yellowstone.
But while wolves and bears have become
Iconic symbols of this place,
There are so many other animals
That make yellowstone exceptional.
The park is home to more than 150 species of birds.
The next "epic yellowstone" follows their stories,
Showing the park from an entirely new perspective.