0:00:02 > 0:00:06How can Wolfbloods run so fast and for so long?
0:00:06 > 0:00:08Why are their senses so intense?
0:00:08 > 0:00:10SHE SNIFFS
0:00:10 > 0:00:12And why is family so important to them?
0:00:13 > 0:00:17It all comes down to the extraordinary wild wolves
0:00:17 > 0:00:20that they share so many qualities with.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22In this series, we'll uncover the truth about wolves
0:00:22 > 0:00:26and reveal just why Wolfbloods are the way that they are.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28This is Wolfblood Uncovered.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55In this episode, I'm going to get a first-hand view
0:00:55 > 0:00:58of the majestic animals that Wolfbloods are based on
0:00:58 > 0:01:02and see their remarkable qualities for myself.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11My character Rhydian and his friend Maddy are both Wolfbloods,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14which means they regularly transform into wolves.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17It also means that they have lots of impressive abilities,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19even when they look like normal teenagers.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22They've got heightened senses.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24SHE SNIFFS
0:01:26 > 0:01:29'They're fast.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30'Strong.'
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Got a problem, lake boy?
0:01:35 > 0:01:37'Agile.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45'And they have extraordinary stamina.'
0:01:48 > 0:01:50The reason they have these special skills is
0:01:50 > 0:01:53because Wolfbloods share the same capabilities as real wolves,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55which are pretty special animals
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and today, I have the privilege of meeting some face to face.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00I can't wait.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03The Wolf Conservation Trust was set up to try
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and help change people's attitudes towards wolves.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08There are ten wolves here
0:02:08 > 0:02:11and apparently I'm going to take one of them for a walk!
0:02:13 > 0:02:16That might sound a bit crazy when they're such serious predators.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21But I've been assured that these wolves are used to people and I'm
0:02:21 > 0:02:26going to be accompanied by seasoned wolf-handlers Clive and Danny.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29So we're just waiting for the wolves to come out,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32but first we're going to have a quick safety briefing. Hi, guys.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35How you doing? So what do we need to know?
0:02:35 > 0:02:38When the wolf approaches you, it likes to get your scent.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41So if you just stand with your fists out in front of you
0:02:41 > 0:02:43and he'll come up and sniff your hands and from that,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45it'll get a lot of information about you.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Wolves will greet each other muzzle to muzzle,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49but you wouldn't want a wolf jumping up
0:02:49 > 0:02:53and sniffing you around the face, so we've substituted our fists.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55'The wolf I'm going to meet is a male called Nuka
0:02:55 > 0:02:58'and he's two years old.'
0:02:58 > 0:03:01There's something different about seeing it
0:03:01 > 0:03:05when there's a big fence in the way and then not.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10'To a wolf, everyone smells a bit different, so Nuka needs to
0:03:10 > 0:03:13'check out my scent and decide that he's comfortable to walk with me.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17'If he is, I might even be able to stroke him.'
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Hello.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Just let him investigate. That's it.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29'Well, I think he liked me
0:03:29 > 0:03:31'and I'm pretty impressed with him.'
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Just so...
0:03:36 > 0:03:37regal.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45The fact that...Nuka is leading the handlers around,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48the two handlers with a big chain.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51'And the handlers have to have their wits about them because wolves
0:03:51 > 0:03:56'are incredibly strong and could easily pull a person off balance.'
0:03:56 > 0:04:00In the wild, they can take down huge heavy prey like elk,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02musk oxen and even buffalo.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07They've also got seriously powerful jaws with a bite force
0:04:07 > 0:04:09three times that of a person.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12'So with that in mind,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15'I'm a little nervous at the prospect of stroking him.'
0:04:15 > 0:04:19As I said, when meeting a wolf, if you were to go up to it boldly
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and pat it on the head or stroke it on the back, that is
0:04:21 > 0:04:24a very dominant gesture, rather like a stranger coming up to you
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and ruffling your hair. It's not the done thing.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30They do however love being stroked on the belly,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34but you approach the wolf quite confidently with your left fist.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Then he'll take all the information he needs.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40As soon as the handler says it's OK,
0:04:40 > 0:04:41come round to the back
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and stroke him underneath the belly there.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45If you keep this fist here,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47if he wants to reassure himself
0:04:47 > 0:04:49who's stroking him, he can turn around and smell your fist.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52If he looks up past your fist into your face,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54it's only cos he wants more information.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57So if you exhale very gently into his nostrils and give him
0:04:57 > 0:05:00all the information he needs, from that he can tell your sex,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04your age, what you've had for breakfast.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08'Yep, you did just hear that right.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11'Because they have so many scent receptors, it's estimated that
0:05:11 > 0:05:15'a wolf's sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than ours,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18'so they can smell things that we couldn't even dream of.'
0:05:20 > 0:05:22This is important when they're hunting,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24cos it means that they can work out all
0:05:24 > 0:05:27sorts of information about their prey, from how old it is and
0:05:27 > 0:05:31if it's male or female, to whether it's healthy, sick or injured.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35'Right, now it's my turn.'
0:05:36 > 0:05:39I'm kind of scared. I'm excited, though.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- Stand still while he says hello. - Oh, is that...
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- There we go.- That's good. - Round the back.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Hand right underneath and just breathe out.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54He wants to say hello and get a sense of your breath.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55Hello.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03'I can't believe I'm cosying up to an actual wolf.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05'I have to remember it's not just a big dog.'
0:06:07 > 0:06:10You want to, like, pat him on the head.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15You're used to doing that with a dog or whatever. I'm not going to.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21'The reason you need to be so careful about how you behave
0:06:21 > 0:06:25'around wolves is that, to them, body language is really important
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'because of their complex social structure.'
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Each pack has a dominant male and female
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and when they want to make their position clear,
0:06:35 > 0:06:40they stand tall and hold their head and tail high.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41The other wolves crouch low
0:06:41 > 0:06:45and tuck their tails between their legs to show they understand.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51'Well, that was pretty awesome.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53'Time to give Nuka a break and see
0:06:53 > 0:06:58'if I can show you just how good at smelling wolves are.'
0:06:58 > 0:07:00We're at the Arctic wolf enclosure now and, as you can see,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I've got a big bucket of meat.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04I'm going to head in there,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08dot it around so they can sniff it out just like they were in the wild.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12It's an enrichment trial to keep their minds active,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14and I'm really looking forward to it.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17'Wolves don't just use their sense of smell to get
0:07:17 > 0:07:19'information about their prey.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21'They also use it to find food.'
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I'll fool them a little bit.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30They'll think it's there.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37'And they're such sensitive smellers,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41'they can sniff out prey that's more than three miles away!'
0:07:45 > 0:07:49So I just put a load of meat out, dotted it around the enclosure.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51We'll see how long it takes them to find it.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55I'm kind of hoping I made it tough for them, but we'll see.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02He's got his nose to the ground.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04He's found a bit.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Oh, you can see his jaw.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13It's so powerful. Just crunching through the bones no problem.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24See, what I did, I put a big pile of meat on top of the platform
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and I think he's just found it.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Yeah, look. There he is.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34He knows he's hit the jackpot.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37He's smelt that from all the way over here.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42I mean, you saw the bucket of meat.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47It was a fair quantity, at least a few kilos, and he's just quite
0:08:47 > 0:08:52comfortably ate it all to himself and found it very, very easy.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56It's remarkable.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01He's still quite comfortably eating away, as well.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07And, actually, even in the wild,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11eating quantities like this isn't unusual for wolves.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16Because sometimes they have to go for up to two weeks without food,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19when a meal becomes available, they are able to gorge
0:09:19 > 0:09:22and can eat the equivalent of 80 burgers in one go!
0:09:26 > 0:09:29So they've shown us how good their senses are.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33There's just one more way I want to put them to the test before I leave.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36No?
0:09:39 > 0:09:43So we're going to see if we can get the wolves to howl.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Um...
0:09:46 > 0:09:49HE HOWLS
0:09:49 > 0:09:52WOLF HOWLS
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Did you hear that?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59HE HOWLS
0:09:59 > 0:10:02WOLF HOWLS
0:10:05 > 0:10:06That is amazing.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11WOLVES HOWL
0:10:11 > 0:10:13You can just about hear the other wolves now.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Who knows what they're saying, but it sounds pretty incredible.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34It's no surprise that the other wolves are responding.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Howling is the way that wolves communicate with each other.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39They howl to protect their territory
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and each pack makes a different sound, which could either
0:10:42 > 0:10:46ward off unwelcome wolves or tell family members where they are.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53There you go.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57So they passed our communication test
0:10:57 > 0:10:59and what a fantastic day it's been.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02It's been incredible to see them up close and personal
0:11:02 > 0:11:06and a great opportunity seeing all their amazing abilities.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Hopefully, now you can see why Wolfbloods seem so superhuman.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15Maddy and Rhydian constantly use their special Wolfblood skills,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17whether it's to track people down,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21to hear conversations that aren't for their ears,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25to get somewhere seriously quickly
0:11:25 > 0:11:28or to defend their pack.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30They certainly make the most of their link
0:11:30 > 0:11:33to these fascinating creatures.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd