0:00:04 > 0:00:08Across the planet, most wildlife is under threat.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18But against all odds, one animal is making a comeback...
0:00:21 > 0:00:23..the wolf.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Nowhere is their return more controversial than North America.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38They are vicious. If the devil had an animal, it's the Canadian Wolf.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Man's hatred of the wolf is deep-seated.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Well, we're going to have to hunt them,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47we're going to have to trap them,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49we're going to have to poison them, if possible.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Now, a team of wildlife experts is heading to the frontline.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02We're here to map what happens when wolves try to return.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08Is that ancient battle between man and wolf going to be reignited?
0:01:08 > 0:01:10First, they must track them down.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14When you see a wolf track, there's no mistaking it.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16It's like, "Bam! Now that's a wolf track."
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Then, they must work out just how far they're spreading.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22HOWLING
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Oh, man, they really are here!
0:01:49 > 0:01:54For thousands of years, wolves were North America's top predator.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Intelligent, fearless...
0:01:59 > 0:02:01..formidable as a pack.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12But when European settlers arrived in America and moved west,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14they ruthlessly exterminated wolves
0:02:14 > 0:02:17from nearly every part of their range.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22More than a million were shot, poisoned or trapped.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25By the middle of the 20th century,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28they had been pushed back into the wilds of Canada.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Now in Washington state, one pioneer pack has ventured back.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39The first wolves to set up home on the west coast of the United States
0:02:39 > 0:02:40in 70 years.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Only one thing stands in their way.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48We're out to get rid of Canadian wolves.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54I am for a hunting season that the wolf can be taken with dynamite...
0:02:54 > 0:02:59with AR-15s - anything goes when you're hunting wolves.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03I think that you've got to poison them
0:03:03 > 0:03:07if you're going to get rid of them, myself, that's my personal opinion.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09If I saw wolves in my backyard,
0:03:09 > 0:03:10which I have before,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14I will pull my rifle and I will kill them.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15People say to me,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18"Well, you guys are never going to get rid of the wolves."
0:03:18 > 0:03:20We may not get rid of all of them,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22but I'll tell you, we can make 'em a rare wolf.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31A team of wolf trackers and wildlife experts
0:03:31 > 0:03:35is joining forces to find out whether against such opposition,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39these pioneering wolves can make it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan
0:03:44 > 0:03:48has spent 20 years filming predators all around the world.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Below me is the frontline for the return of the wolf.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00This landscape hasn't seen wolves living here for over 70 years
0:04:00 > 0:04:04and we're here to map what happens when wolves try to return.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08We're here to find out if they can exist, how many there are,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10do they have a future?
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Based in a remote valley in the Cascade Mountains,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24the team has just one month to track down the new wolf pack.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Biologist Jasmine Minbashian
0:04:29 > 0:04:32has campaigned long and hard to see the wolf's return.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Since I was a little girl, I've spent time skiing and backpacking
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and walking through these mountains,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and I often think about the wildlife that live here.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46But the Cascade Mountains without wolves is like
0:04:46 > 0:04:50the Serengeti without lions, it's just not the same.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Isaac Babcock has 15 years' wolf-tracking experience.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57If anyone can find the pack, it's him.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00What I hope to do is to get up on top of the ridges
0:05:00 > 0:05:02and to cover as much ground as I can.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05To look for wolf sign, to try to find tracks
0:05:05 > 0:05:07and hopefully, help the team catch up with them.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12With all the kit needed to survive in Arctic conditions,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14the team will begin their search
0:05:14 > 0:05:16close to where the pack was last seen.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26For decades, the wildlife in these mountains has lived wolf-free.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Without their top predator, deer populations can rise unchecked.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39A wolf comeback would help keep their numbers under control
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and prevent overgrazing.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50The return of the wolf would have far-reaching consequences.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Gordon has years of experience filming elusive animals
0:06:04 > 0:06:05in remote areas,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08but wolves will be a new challenge.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I don't know this area. I don't know wolves as a species.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16What is our plan of attack?
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Well, I think the best thing to do is just to start right around camp
0:06:20 > 0:06:23because there's been sightings near here,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25so if we can just find some tracks,
0:06:25 > 0:06:26or at least hear a howl,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29we'll know we're in the right spot.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41But getting close enough to film wolves here
0:06:41 > 0:06:43will be nearly impossible.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45They can smell humans from over a mile away
0:06:45 > 0:06:47and hear them from further.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50They will see Gordon long before he sees them.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Gordon needs extra sets of eyes.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03He is blitzing the forest with 50 remote cameras.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17They're triggered by the movement of a passing animal.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19To increase his chances of capturing a wolf,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Gordon's using a hunter's trick.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24These wolves have huge territories
0:07:24 > 0:07:26and they go around and they scent mark,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28so they urinate up against trees.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32At this time of year, they're particularly interested
0:07:32 > 0:07:34in the scent of other wolves,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38because this is the time of year that males and females get together.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42So if I put a little bit of wolf urine here,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45any wolf that's going to come within 15 metres of this tree
0:07:45 > 0:07:47is going to zone in on it.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53Whoa-oh!
0:07:53 > 0:07:59It smells like the worst toilets in the dodgiest, ropiest pub
0:07:59 > 0:08:01that you've ever, ever thought of...
0:08:03 > 0:08:04..but to a wolf...
0:08:05 > 0:08:08..this is very enticing, very appealing,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12and by just gently sprinkling it around this tree,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14it's going to bring a wolf in.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Wolves can travel more than 50 miles in a day.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Right now, this pack could be anywhere.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30They've been called the Lookout Pack,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32named after Lookout Mountain,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35which sits in the middle of their vast territory.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38This pioneer wolf family is thought to be ten-strong,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41but no-one knows for sure.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45For Jasmine, these are very special wolves.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Despite being five months pregnant,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51she has insisted on joining the expedition.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56Seeing a top predator making a comeback is too good to miss.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59I spent years dreaming about the time
0:08:59 > 0:09:02when wolves were going to return to these mountains,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05to their home where they lived for 10,000 years,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and I never thought that I would be alive
0:09:08 > 0:09:11to see the day when they would come back.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13What I'm hoping that we can achieve with this expedition
0:09:13 > 0:09:17is to really get out into the wolf's territory
0:09:17 > 0:09:20and figure out what is going on with this pack,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23how many animals are there, are they breeding,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27are they creating new generations of wolves
0:09:27 > 0:09:31that can continue to repopulate this area?
0:09:33 > 0:09:35If the Lookout Pack is doing well,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38it could be the start of a healthy population in the Cascades.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43From here, they could begin to re-colonise the west coast.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47A mountainous wolf highway stretching from Washington state,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49all the way down to California.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Leading wolf expert Doug Smith
0:09:56 > 0:10:00believes the Lookout Pack could be the start of something big.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06What's happened lately has revised some of our thinking
0:10:06 > 0:10:08about what wolves are capable of doing.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14200 years from now, I would like to see this wolf population expanded
0:10:14 > 0:10:19and we would have one vast connection of wolves
0:10:19 > 0:10:21where they used to be in Canada,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25all the way up through these western states and back into Mexico.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28So a lot rides on the shoulders of those Washington wolves -
0:10:28 > 0:10:32can they pull this off, how smart are they?
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Wolves can easily vanish into a landscape like this.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44That's why the team has come in winter -
0:10:44 > 0:10:47tracks are easier to find in the snow.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54First, they have to work out which valley they're in.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58And to do that,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Isaac must teach Gordon...to howl.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Pretty stunning, isn't it?
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Yeah.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10- It wouldn't be a bad spot to howl. - Yeah?- You ever howled?
0:11:10 > 0:11:13No, I have never howled. Does it actually work?
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Yeah, actually, it works really well.- Yeah?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18It's probably one of the best tools to find them.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21I could be one of the world's best yodellers, I've never tried.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Well, you're about to have an opportunity.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26I'm going to take off my backpack,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I think I'm going to need all my lung capacity.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Y-o-o-owl! You know, kind of like that.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37Aw-o-o-o-owl!
0:11:38 > 0:11:41H-o-o-o-owl!
0:11:41 > 0:11:42That is even worse!
0:11:42 > 0:11:47Aw-o-o-o-oh!
0:11:47 > 0:11:48Little bit camp.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53If there's a gay wolf out there, he might answer back.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55ISAAC HOWLS
0:12:01 > 0:12:04If the pack is within earshot, they will howl back.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Gordon and Isaac will have to try another valley.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28The team needs every lead they can get.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Jasmine is chasing up reports of wolf sightings from local residents.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Local knowledge is an incredible source of information,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43it's just as handy as cameras and tracks.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48In some cases, residents have photos or they've seen multiple animals,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51and that's exactly what we're trying to find out.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Any recent sightings will help the team focus their search.
0:13:01 > 0:13:02Hello, you must be Dwayne?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- So you've seen three animals together?- Right.
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Wow!
0:13:07 > 0:13:10So when was the last time that you've seen three animals together?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12About two weeks ago.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Two weeks ago. Wow, that's big news!
0:13:14 > 0:13:16There were three wolves.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18They are right up on that hill, up there.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Mostly, up in that direction,
0:13:20 > 0:13:24but they've been working this whole ridge, from what everyone has been saying.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- So how many animals did you see? - There was five of 'em.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- Five?- Right.- Really?
0:13:28 > 0:13:31One of them was right about there at that bush.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- Right here?- Right at the bush. I was standing over here.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35- You're kidding?- No.- Wow!
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Reports suggest at least five wolves in the Lookout Pack.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53And it seems they've been spending time
0:13:53 > 0:13:55in the valley north of base camp.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59ENGINE PURRS
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Now they have something concrete to go on,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Gordon can bring out his latest gadget...
0:14:15 > 0:14:18..RoboWolf.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24The idea is that this wolf is going to be left here
0:14:24 > 0:14:26and it's going to be howling,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28the head's going to be moving,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30and any wolf that's in the area is going to hear that howl
0:14:30 > 0:14:34and hopefully come down to check it out.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35MECHANICAL WHIRRING
0:14:35 > 0:14:40OK. This is a pretty good place for it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45This megaphone is going to broadcast a wolf howl far and wide.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50So what I'm going to do is plug this in,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53which is a computer that we can program to howl
0:14:53 > 0:14:55at certain times of day,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58so we're just going to have it dawn and dusk.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03And the howl that we're using has been tried and tested
0:15:03 > 0:15:07and it seems to be the howl that the wolves are most responsive to.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11Play.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13RECORDED HOWLING
0:15:19 > 0:15:20The wolves in the area,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22they might only pass through once a fortnight,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25so we're using every member of the team doing their own thing,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28and RoboWolf is very much a member of the team
0:15:28 > 0:15:32and he's performing his job and I can just let him get on with it.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41ROBOWOLF HOWLS
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Wolves defend their territory against rival packs.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Gordon's hoping that RoboWolf
0:15:47 > 0:15:51will draw the Lookout Pack into the area where he's set remote cameras.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01With RoboWolf staking out one end of the valley,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03the team can concentrate on the other.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08These forests may appear empty,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11but they conceal a rich array of wildlife.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33This valley is good wolf habitat. There's plenty of prey here.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42And there are large open spaces in which to chase them down.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47If the pack IS here, they'll leave tracks in the snow.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51And that's what Gordon is looking for.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Wolves prefer to move along ridges
0:16:54 > 0:16:57where the wind-blown snow is less deep.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00To reach their travel routes,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02he's got to start climbing.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04GORDON PANTS
0:17:04 > 0:17:07This is really difficult - trying to make my way around this mountain.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12What I can do in an hour, a wolf could probably do 50 times that,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15just running straight across the top of it.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I'm like a big sloth.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21A big sloth that's sliding halfway down the hill.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Wolves are built for speed and stamina.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Gordon is weighed down with 35 kilos of survival gear and camera kit.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41It's this close to impossible.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Erm... It's just too heavy
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and I'm sinking in with every single footstep.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03HE LAUGHS
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I'm on the ridge and I can't see a single thing.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09The idea was to come up here and look out
0:18:09 > 0:18:12onto the opposing ridge and see if we could pick up any wolves,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15but you can't even see more than 20 metres.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19With the weather worsening and the temperature plummeting,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21it's too dangerous for Gordon to stay up on the mountain.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24It's getting late.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27We've got an hour to go before it's dark, so I think,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30let's just start just picking my way down.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34Oh!
0:18:34 > 0:18:35OK.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41On his way down to base camp,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Gordon checks in with Isaac on the walkie-talkie.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Isaac, Isaac, it's Gordon. Do you copy? Over.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51'Yeah, Gordon, how do you read?'
0:18:51 > 0:18:52Everything OK?
0:18:52 > 0:18:56'Yeah, everything's real good. In fact, I have something interesting.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59'You might want to come and take a look.'
0:19:04 > 0:19:06- Hey, Gordon? - Yeah, you got something?
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Watch your next couple of steps here as you go over that log.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10Holy moley!
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Is that a wolf track?
0:19:14 > 0:19:15I think so.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Gosh, it's huge!
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Isn't it?
0:19:18 > 0:19:20That's really big!
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Yeah. I mean, look at that.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26You can see the nails, the pads.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Yeah, so it's going this way.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32This one, if you get back a little more,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- you can see the toes pretty distinctly.- Yeah.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37And the heel pad, I mean, it's not perfect, but it's right there.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Yeah. It is no wonder that people think that they're enormous.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44- Uh-huh. - And I wonder how recent that is.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47They don't look sparkling brand-new to me,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49but...I don't feel like they're that old.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51First piece of the puzzle.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Yeah, we've got a wolf.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55That is a wolf.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00This is great, it is really exactly what we've been looking for...
0:20:01 > 0:20:03..signs of wolves.
0:20:03 > 0:20:04It may only be one wolf,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08but it's the team's first sign they're not chasing ghosts.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Back at camp, Jasmine's checking the remote cameras.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23These cameras were set up all around base camp,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25so this will give us an idea
0:20:25 > 0:20:28of who's living out there in the woods...near us.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Snowshoe hare.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38It's holding so still,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41it doesn't even look like it's moving, but there it goes.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45SHE LAUGHS
0:20:45 > 0:20:47All right, let's see what we have next.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Picture number two.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51Oh!
0:20:52 > 0:20:53Deer.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Uh! Oh, my gosh!
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Wow!
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Wow!
0:21:09 > 0:21:10I can't believe it!
0:21:13 > 0:21:16It's a beautiful wolf.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19The first few seconds, there's nothing,
0:21:19 > 0:21:25and then from behind a big tree comes a big, beautiful wolf.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Oh, my gosh! That is SO cool!
0:21:32 > 0:21:33- Gordon!- Hello!
0:21:33 > 0:21:37- Hello. Just the man I want to see. - How's it going?
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Oh, wow!
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Look at this! One of our cameras near camp!
0:21:43 > 0:21:44Really?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Yeah, can you believe it?
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Dun-da-da-da - the wolf!
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Oh, what a beautiful animal!
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Isn't it? Pretty cool, huh?
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- Yeah, it's great. We're getting there.- Yeah.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Jasmine thinks this animal is the likely leader of the Lookout Pack.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05The alpha male.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18It's welcome news at the end of a hard week's work,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21though the team's still a long way from knowing
0:22:21 > 0:22:23whether the Lookout Pack is thriving.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28The Cascade Mountains look picture perfect,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32but without wolves, they're missing a vital element.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38These large carnivores
0:22:38 > 0:22:42are one of the major structuring forces in nature.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46I mean, equal to things like climate and sunshine,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50these large carnivores really do affect what we see out there
0:22:50 > 0:22:54and wolves are THE animal, top carnivore in North America.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02With wolves about, elk and deer are on high alert and stay on the move.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Without them, they overgraze.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Trees and bushes never get a chance to grow,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11knocking out a crucial part of the landscape.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17This problem became so acute in Yellowstone National Park
0:23:17 > 0:23:22that Doug Smith and his team reintroduced a pack of wolves.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27It was a ground-breaking experiment. No-one knew what would happen.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31The results were astonishing.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35So these willows behind me were all much shorter.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38A lot of them were below my knee, others were below my waist.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Every stem had been covered by an elk, eaten down.
0:23:42 > 0:23:48And look at the difference now at this very site - great example -
0:23:48 > 0:23:49and what has that meant?
0:23:49 > 0:23:50What has happened?
0:23:50 > 0:23:54We've had songbirds utilise that habitat, that structure,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58we've had beavers come, clip those branches
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and use that as food, as building material.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04All those things are occurring now
0:24:04 > 0:24:08because wolves have tipped the balance in this ecosystem to a different way.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10So just as you look around here,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13these very subtle effects are taking hold.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Biologists hope the wolf's return
0:24:20 > 0:24:24will restore the balance of nature to the Cascades in the same way.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33It's the second week of the expedition
0:24:33 > 0:24:37and Gordon is in search of the lone male they caught on camera.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42He wants to find out what's happened to the rest of the pack.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48The remote camera image came from a valley close to Lookout Mountain.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Gordon's scouring the area.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55He's discovered why the alpha male is spending time here.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00A herd of deer has moved in to feed on the bitterbrush.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04There's deer tracks all over here, down there.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07There's a couple of deer up on the hill there
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and there's a dead deer, over there.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Now, I can't see any blood or anything like that
0:25:13 > 0:25:18so...my hunch is that it's died naturally.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Gordon is setting up a hide to stake out the carcass,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31but wolves are extremely wary.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35They may only show up if he can arouse their curiosity.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42So I'm hoping that a wolf might see this carcass from the ridge,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43or it might smell it,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45but just as an added draw,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48I've got a recording here of this,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and it is the distress call...
0:25:51 > 0:25:53of a deer...
0:25:53 > 0:25:55RECORDING OF DEER YELPING
0:25:55 > 0:25:57..and a noise like this to a hungry wolf
0:25:57 > 0:26:01is going to mean dinner, or an easy meal.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04RECORDING OF DEER YELPING
0:26:04 > 0:26:07What we want to do is find out whether this is a viable pack.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10If we can bring down all of the pack members, that would be fantastic,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12but we just need to find out whether
0:26:12 > 0:26:15the wolves in this area have a future,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17whether there's a breeding female,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19whether they're going to produce pups this year,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and an opportunity like this might just reveal that.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31RECORDING OF DEER YELPING
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Isaac is searching the ridge above Gordon.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47From up here, he can overlook the alpha male's last position.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57This is what we're after.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00These are wolf tracks and they're fresh.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02In fact, they're really fresh.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04They were here very recently.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07We're one to two hours behind the wolves, so...
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Pretty much, it's game on.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13For the first time,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Isaac is on the trail of two wolves travelling together.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Hey, wait a minute. Come here, have a look at this.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35(I think this is what the wolves are coming to.)
0:27:38 > 0:27:39It's a young mule deer,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43probably a fawn, about eight months old, and it's fresh too.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47The hide's still soft, the skin's still sticky,
0:27:47 > 0:27:48and if you pull the skin back here,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51there's this big, red haemorrhaging area,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54and in the middle of it is a canine puncture wound.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56If you look at where that corresponds with,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59you've got a canine puncture right in the top of the skull.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02If you imagine the canine of a wolf...
0:28:02 > 0:28:04I mean, you have,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I think it's like 1,500 pounds per square inch of pressure.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Imagine that coming down, breaking the skin
0:28:09 > 0:28:11and actually crushing right into the skull.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12That's the result.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15The vertebrae column should be about that long
0:28:15 > 0:28:18and the rest of it, I think, has just been chomped up and eaten.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21There should be ribs sticking out all the way along.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25That's another thing you find in wolf kills that you don't find with other predators -
0:28:25 > 0:28:29it's just that ability to basically crunch everything down to nothing.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32I think within the last day or two, they killed this.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34They've probably been here on top of the ridge sleeping
0:28:34 > 0:28:36and coming down and feeding on it.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39I think they were here just a couple of hours ago.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48These two wolves may lead the team to the rest of the Lookout Pack.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Gordon is spending the night in the hide,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00hoping other members of the pack will show up.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Bit disappointing.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06I've been in here for about six hours
0:29:06 > 0:29:07and...
0:29:07 > 0:29:11I was hoping for more than five magpies.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19It's a lot of time and effort
0:29:19 > 0:29:23to put in for a few magpies.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30The wolves may have sensed Gordon's presence and stayed clear.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Remote cameras, however, are better at surveillance.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50There are snowshoe hares,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54their huge feet perfectly adapted to hop across the deep snow.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Bull moose, jousting with each other,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04totally unaware of the camera just a metre away.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Following the prey come the predators.
0:30:12 > 0:30:13The elusive bobcat.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19The cougar, North America's biggest cat.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23They've benefited from the wolf's long absence.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33These valleys are alive with wildlife,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36but there is no sign of the Lookout Pack.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41ENGINE PURRS
0:30:46 > 0:30:50The next day, Jasmine is called out at dawn.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55Local biologist Scott Fitkin has heard wolves howling in the valley.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58WOLVES HOWL
0:31:00 > 0:31:01Oh.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04I think I hear them.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10HOWLING STARTS AGAIN
0:31:19 > 0:31:24(This is the first time I have ever heard wolves...in this area.
0:31:24 > 0:31:25(It's amazing.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29(I can't believe it.)
0:31:34 > 0:31:35It's unbelievable.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39I've got... The hair on the back of my neck is standing up.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42I don't think I've ever been this close to wolves.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47WOLVES CONTINUE TO HOWL
0:31:57 > 0:31:59(It's amazing!)
0:32:01 > 0:32:04(It's almost like they're up on that slope, right there.)
0:32:11 > 0:32:12He's a phantom.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15- What's he doing?- I have no idea!
0:32:22 > 0:32:23I shouldn't say he.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26He or she is up there on that hillside somewhere
0:32:26 > 0:32:28and we can't see him.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30I would love it if one of them is a breeding female,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32I would be so happy.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35The survival of the pack really depends on her
0:32:35 > 0:32:36because it's really unlikely
0:32:36 > 0:32:38that there's another breeding female
0:32:38 > 0:32:40anywhere close by
0:32:40 > 0:32:43and...I think the future of the pack
0:32:43 > 0:32:46really rests on her still being alive.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48- CAMERAMAN: - Sorry, what's that on the ridge?
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh!
0:32:55 > 0:32:58Look at that, there's a wolf.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Two wolves. Oh, my gosh!
0:33:08 > 0:33:10I can't believe my eyes.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17So we just spotted two wolves up on the ridge, it's so exciting!
0:33:32 > 0:33:34And they're just so calm.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37- Well, they're the lords of their domain, so...- Yeah.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46Wow, that is amazing. Oh, my God!
0:33:54 > 0:33:56It's about to go, though. Oh!
0:33:57 > 0:33:59Don't go!
0:34:02 > 0:34:03Oh, my God!
0:34:03 > 0:34:06How cool was that?! Isn't that great?
0:34:06 > 0:34:09That is a once-in-a-lifetime...
0:34:11 > 0:34:12..thing for me.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13I can't believe it.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17I'm just going to sit here and digest what just happened,
0:34:17 > 0:34:22that I've seen wolves here in the North Cascades, my home,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25for the first time in my life,
0:34:25 > 0:34:28and just enjoy that for a minute.
0:34:36 > 0:34:37- Gordon?- Hello!
0:34:37 > 0:34:38Hi, how are you?
0:34:38 > 0:34:40- Yeah good, how are you doing?- Good.
0:34:40 > 0:34:41That night, back at camp,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Jasmine shares her news with the rest of the team.
0:34:44 > 0:34:45SHE LAUGHS
0:34:45 > 0:34:46I need a hug!
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Now, this is exactly what we've been waiting for,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57cos we've seen signs of wolves.
0:34:57 > 0:34:58I've seen their tracks,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00I've found animals that they're feeding on,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03but we're waiting for a real break, a sighting,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06and Jasmine's had that today and it's just phenomenal.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10It's the biggest, most positive lead that we've had so far.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12It's great.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Shall we listen to the calls?
0:35:17 > 0:35:20RECORDED HOWLING
0:35:20 > 0:35:22- So is that from today?- Yep.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24Really?
0:35:27 > 0:35:30But they must be saying something - that variation in the sound.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33You know, what... What are they trying to say?
0:35:33 > 0:35:36- It sounded very mournful to me... - Hmm.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40..and I really hope that's not a sign that it's breeding season
0:35:40 > 0:35:44and the male is looking for his mate and can't find her.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46- That would be the worst case.- Yeah.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50The team's had a tantalising glimpse of two wolves,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52but they are not a breeding pair.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57The alpha male is travelling with a younger wolf,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00which the team think is also a male.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06There is no sign of his mate - the alpha female
0:36:06 > 0:36:10and his mournful howl suggests something's not right.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Well, certainly, part of the allure and attraction of wolves is that
0:36:13 > 0:36:17they're this kind of noble species that feels things like people do,
0:36:17 > 0:36:20and interestingly, a male wolf lost his mate
0:36:20 > 0:36:24and he howled at higher rates than normal for several days,
0:36:24 > 0:36:28and I've told that to several biologists,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30I hesitate to interpret it this way,
0:36:30 > 0:36:33but they say...those wolves were certainly mourning.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Erm...hard to know,
0:36:36 > 0:36:41but we do know that the behaviour after their mate dying was different.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Jasmine is starting to worry.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50There's a part of me that wonders
0:36:50 > 0:36:55if the male is wandering around with one of his older pups
0:36:55 > 0:37:00waiting for the female to come back and that she's not coming back,
0:37:00 > 0:37:05and that's a sadder story that I'm having a hard time accepting.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Gordon wants to know whether the local community can shed any light
0:37:11 > 0:37:14on where the rest of the Lookout Pack has gone.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19In some ways, this place and this animal
0:37:19 > 0:37:21is different to how I normally film.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25Most of the times, I'm somewhere where there aren't people.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28Most of the wild animals that I have filmed in the past
0:37:28 > 0:37:30live in wild places.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33Here, we have a community, a local community
0:37:33 > 0:37:38and we have the wolves trying to... almost join that community.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41I'm on my way to meet some ranchers
0:37:41 > 0:37:44who are some of the most vocal people living here,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47and actually, the people that will be most affected
0:37:47 > 0:37:50by the return of the wolf.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Wolves are protected by law in Washington state.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57But that doesn't always count for much.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01In the Wild West, their return is controversial.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10What's going to happen in five, ten years' time
0:38:10 > 0:38:14that people are seeing wolves on a very regular basis
0:38:14 > 0:38:16and people are starting to lose cattle?
0:38:16 > 0:38:20- What... What are people going to do? - Shoot, shovel and shut up.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21Does a lot of that go on?
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Same if someone's breaking into your house
0:38:23 > 0:38:26and they're attacking your child, what you going to do?
0:38:26 > 0:38:29Stop and watch him? You're going to take care of what's yours,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33protect your property, protect your livestock and your families.
0:38:33 > 0:38:38If a pack of wolves come down and was jeopardising my grandkids,
0:38:38 > 0:38:39my livestock,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43I would, I'd shoot, shovel and shut up.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46If they're a threat to my cattle and my horses,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48and my family...
0:38:48 > 0:38:50I'm going to start shooting 'em.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Having met with the ranchers,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00it doesn't fill me full of hope.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04When wolves are in the wilderness and away from people, there isn't a problem.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07And when people are in towns without wolves, there isn't a problem.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10But here, it's when you bring both of them together,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13that's the controversy, that's what the wolf is up against.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Isaac hasn't given up searching for a breeding female.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26He's been crisscrossing the ridge where Jasmine saw the two wolves
0:39:26 > 0:39:29and has come across a hole in the snow.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39I'd say it looks to me like a wolf den.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47I don't feel like I have any phobias in life,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49except one of 'em might be getting stuck in a den hole.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05It looks pretty dry and cosy, let's have a look around.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10This little den, right here,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14is basically the wolf pups' home for the first six weeks.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Those first six weeks, a good part of it,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19they're blind and totally helpless,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22they're just depending on their mom to come down here and nurse them.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25In April and May, when this den would ideally be full
0:40:25 > 0:40:26of a wolf female and her pups,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29they'd be just sitting right about here or so
0:40:29 > 0:40:33and you'd have a female just laid out right there along the wall
0:40:33 > 0:40:35and you'd have four or five, six pups
0:40:35 > 0:40:38just lined up right here, nursing on her.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40You can imagine that huge mass of heat down here,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43all insulated up, well within the cavern.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45It's a darn good-looking wolf den
0:40:45 > 0:40:47and it's certainly safe from any predators.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51But...this is about eight inches higher
0:40:51 > 0:40:53than it looks like it originally was.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55This is all soft dirt that's fallen out of the roof
0:40:55 > 0:40:57and all I can figure is it's caved in.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00So it's my guess the wolves haven't been here for a while.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05Good den sites like this aren't abandoned without good reason.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15You know, ultimately, the goal here, ultimately, what we're hoping for
0:41:15 > 0:41:17is that this den is used again
0:41:17 > 0:41:20and that this pack is still a functioning and breeding pack.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23But right now, that's the huge question
0:41:23 > 0:41:26and we're trying to figure out, what is the status of the pack?
0:41:30 > 0:41:33It looks as if this pioneering wolf family has broken up.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36Wolves can survive on their own,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40but they only thrive if they are part of a pack.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45A big part of wolf life is they're a social animal.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Only two to three percent of mammals live in family groups
0:41:48 > 0:41:49and wolves are one of them.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58You've got the pups, yearlings, two-year-olds,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00even occasionally sometimes three-year-olds,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04plus the breeding pair - we often call that the alpha pair.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08It's essentially a family, we call it a pack.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10They're raised up in a social setting
0:42:10 > 0:42:14and they live in that social setting for the rest of their lives.
0:42:14 > 0:42:19Without pups, the Lookout Pack can't maintain their foothold here.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24The re-colonisation of the west coast will suffer a major setback.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33It's week three of the expedition and Gordon is unexpectedly called in
0:42:33 > 0:42:37to Washington's Wildlife Enforcement HQ.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42We got two different calls from concerned citizens
0:42:42 > 0:42:44who had information
0:42:44 > 0:42:49and reported that an individual had illegally killed a wolf.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Whether that animal was part of the Lookout Pack
0:42:53 > 0:42:56or whether it was a transitory animal from some other location
0:42:56 > 0:42:59is yet to be determined through DNA testing.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Chances are it's from the Lookout Pack,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03a wolf showing up in a place like that.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05Our guess is, yes.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Right now, it's only an educated guess
0:43:07 > 0:43:09cos it was so close to the Lookout Pack.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Could you tell whether it had been shot...or trapped?
0:43:12 > 0:43:17Yes, we have a lab report and we believe that animal was shot.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21OK. Can I have a look at the photos? It would be good to...
0:43:21 > 0:43:24You can see, it's missing its feet.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29It's missing its head and it's in a severe stage of decomposition.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31It was quite odiferous when we found it
0:43:31 > 0:43:34- and those white things you see on there are maggots.- Maggots.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36Mm-hm.
0:43:36 > 0:43:41- So it had been shot, skinned and then dumped?- Yes.
0:43:41 > 0:43:42These were intentional acts.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45This wasn't something that was done by somebody
0:43:45 > 0:43:49who was out legally hunting coyotes and accidentally shot a wolf.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53You probably have a better idea than anyone of the chances
0:43:53 > 0:43:56of the Lookout Pack becoming properly established.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59What do you think their chances are?
0:43:59 > 0:44:01I'm not very hopeful.
0:44:01 > 0:44:06I think they're in dire straits of re-establishing themselves
0:44:06 > 0:44:07and that's very sad.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10That's a man-made issue right now.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30It's not just this wolf -
0:44:30 > 0:44:33three local people were later charged
0:44:33 > 0:44:37with illegally killing up to five members of the Lookout Pack.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39This explains why the team struggled
0:44:39 > 0:44:42and only found the two wolves.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59Jasmine's in camp.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02Her worst fears have come true.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09I really don't want to believe
0:45:09 > 0:45:12that the Lookout Pack doesn't exist any more.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14It's a hard pill to swallow...
0:45:15 > 0:45:21..because there was so much hope and optimism surrounding their return.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24It's really a sad thing
0:45:24 > 0:45:26that these wolves were shot
0:45:26 > 0:45:29and they weren't causing any harm,
0:45:29 > 0:45:31they were being good neighbours,
0:45:31 > 0:45:33they weren't getting into trouble
0:45:33 > 0:45:37and there was no reason for them to die.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39So it was such a waste of life.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47Yeah, it was a real waste of life.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Some people hate wolves for the way they hunt.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05Ron Gillett isn't just angry they're returning,
0:46:05 > 0:46:10he wants wolves exterminated all over again.
0:46:13 > 0:46:14Look at this picture.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18The rear end of this elk is all chewed out
0:46:18 > 0:46:20and then she's left there.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24Think of what this animal went through while it was dying!
0:46:26 > 0:46:28Look at this one up here,
0:46:28 > 0:46:33look at this poor young cow elk laying there and look at the blood.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Ron's spent his life in the West
0:46:37 > 0:46:40and is a passionate defender of its hunting culture.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49I am a sportsman, but I also love our game.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52I am one of those people that want to see
0:46:52 > 0:46:53well-managed big-game herds,
0:46:53 > 0:46:58viable and visible big-game herds.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01And now the wolves are killing everything.
0:47:01 > 0:47:02It's not right
0:47:02 > 0:47:05and this BS about wolves
0:47:05 > 0:47:09being healthy for an ecosystem and balancing it
0:47:09 > 0:47:11is a bunch of baloney.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Wolves have never balanced anything.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26At base camp, the team has received news which gives them fresh hope.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31The Lookout Pack may be in decline,
0:47:31 > 0:47:35but reinforcements could be on their way.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39Wolves have been heard howling just 20 miles away
0:47:39 > 0:47:43and tracks have been reported near the border with Canada.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45Gordon is heading straight out
0:47:45 > 0:47:48to discover whether this is a new influx of wolves
0:47:48 > 0:47:49to the Cascade Mountains.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54HUSKIES BARK
0:47:54 > 0:47:59For the first leg of his journey, Gordon is using a team of huskies.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01One hook, second hook.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04Good dogs! Hike!
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Hike!
0:48:08 > 0:48:11We're leaving all the comforts of camp behind.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15We've literally got the bare minimum with us, the bare minimum equipment,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18the bare minimum just to sleep out at night on top of the mountain.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24Gordon is heading into the heart of the mountains.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28Using huskies means he can travel quickly and silently,
0:48:28 > 0:48:33but even so, it won't be an easy ride.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39The first eight hours are a relentless climb.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44In the midday sun, temperatures are soaring.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46As the dogs struggle uphill,
0:48:46 > 0:48:51Gordon has to lighten their load and run alongside.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04Naively, I thought the dogs did everything.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09We're going up into the mountain, so it's quite tiring.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12I'm going to have to take off my thermal long johns.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15You don't mind if I run in my underpants, do you?
0:49:15 > 0:49:17HE LAUGHS
0:49:17 > 0:49:20Come on, socks!
0:49:20 > 0:49:24Right, OK, I'm not... I'm not ready, I'm definitely not ready.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26Oh, they're nice and cool now.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28That's the thing,
0:49:28 > 0:49:31these dogs can deal with plus 30 in the summer
0:49:31 > 0:49:33to minus 30, minus 40 in the winter,
0:49:33 > 0:49:36without having to change their clothes.
0:49:36 > 0:49:37They're doing more work than I am
0:49:37 > 0:49:40and I'm having to shed layers and layers,
0:49:40 > 0:49:42and these dogs just do it naturally.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44HUSKIES BARK
0:49:51 > 0:49:53As Gordon approaches the summit...
0:49:54 > 0:49:55..the weather closes in.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11I do wonder even now whether I'm being watched
0:50:11 > 0:50:15and how many occasions I've been watched by wolves.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19What I want to do is just try and switch the tables on them.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22I want to be the one that's doing the watching.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45OK, we're still climbing up.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49HE PANTS
0:50:49 > 0:50:52It feels a bit like a death march, this.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57Definitely not that much fun.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08Back at base camp, Jasmine's had reports of a wolf sighting.
0:51:08 > 0:51:14Incredibly, it's more than 100 miles further down the Cascade range.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16So I'm about three hours south of base camp
0:51:16 > 0:51:19and we're off to check out a sighting,
0:51:19 > 0:51:24a recent sighting of wolf tracks and wolf scat.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28And if indeed these are wolves,
0:51:28 > 0:51:29then it'll be the first time
0:51:29 > 0:51:33wolves have been documented this far south in the Cascade Mountains,
0:51:33 > 0:51:35which would just be incredible.
0:51:35 > 0:51:36It would mean that wolves
0:51:36 > 0:51:39are not just coming back in the north part of the range,
0:51:39 > 0:51:43but they're starting to move back in to the whole mountain range
0:51:43 > 0:51:45that was once their home.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50If these reports prove to be true,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53it could change the course of wolf history
0:51:53 > 0:51:55on the west coast of North America.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05- Good dog. - The huskies have made good time.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08Gordon has completed stage one of his journey.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14I just... I have this much energy left.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16I'm really, really tired
0:52:16 > 0:52:19and the dogs have slowed right down, which is good.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21I mean, they're doing 99% of the work.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24We're going to have to find a place to camp,
0:52:24 > 0:52:27we've only got about another half an hour of daylight.
0:52:29 > 0:52:30Down here.
0:52:34 > 0:52:35Pretty deep.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41Before Gordon beds down in a deep snow hole,
0:52:41 > 0:52:43he's got an important job to do.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49As night falls, he must try to make contact with the wolves.
0:52:54 > 0:53:00Gordon's howl isn't as good as Isaac's, but he has backup.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02HE HOWLS
0:53:07 > 0:53:09HUSKIES HOWL
0:53:48 > 0:53:51It seems that these wolves have moved on.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57But Gordon wants to push further north.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03On his final stage, he's heading up to the Canadian border,
0:54:03 > 0:54:05where the tracks were reported.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13This is the most inaccessible region of the Cascade range.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20Not even huskies can make it here.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24Gordon must continue alone.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Frozen trousers.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Local biologists have positioned remote cameras along the border.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51If there are wolves here,
0:54:51 > 0:54:53then the cameras should have captured images of them.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57OK...open.
0:54:59 > 0:55:00Lots of deer.
0:55:00 > 0:55:04Deer. Deer's backside.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Deer with antlers. Deer.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12I'm just...desperate to get wolves on these camera traps.
0:55:14 > 0:55:15Deer.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19Deer. Deer.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23Oh! Wo, wo, wo...wolf!
0:55:23 > 0:55:24Yes!
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Yes, yes, yes!
0:55:26 > 0:55:29Look at this guy.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31We've got a wolf.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36Very definitely a wolf.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43And it's not just one wolf, there are three different wolves here.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47Gordon has discovered a new pack.
0:56:00 > 0:56:01This is really amazing.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05This is the first visual record of wolves in this area
0:56:05 > 0:56:07and it's fantastic to see
0:56:07 > 0:56:09that this is a wild place where wolves can exist.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13But THE most exciting thing about this place
0:56:13 > 0:56:15is that this is the gateway,
0:56:15 > 0:56:19the corridor that can feed into other areas -
0:56:19 > 0:56:24not just into the Lookout Pack, but other areas of Washington state.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28Up on the border with Canada,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31Gordon has discovered a route which wolves are using
0:56:31 > 0:56:33to cross into the United States.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41In spite of everything, a new wave of pioneers could be on their way.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51Those mountains, those trees - that's Canada,
0:56:51 > 0:56:53that's where the wolves are coming from.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55The Lookout Pack, those pioneer packs,
0:56:55 > 0:56:58they might get completely wiped out,
0:56:58 > 0:57:01but I do believe that we're seeing an unstoppable tide of wolves
0:57:01 > 0:57:03returning to Washington state.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05I think the wolves do have a future.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16With the start of spring,
0:57:16 > 0:57:18the team widen their search.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25Gordon heads to a remote Canadian rainforest,
0:57:25 > 0:57:29to find the ancestors of the Lookout Pack.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32He has a hairy encounter...
0:57:32 > 0:57:33OK, I've got a black bear
0:57:33 > 0:57:35eating salmon!
0:57:37 > 0:57:41..and after days on end in a soggy hide...
0:57:42 > 0:57:44There's a seal coming up the river.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49..he finally films a wolf.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53(I'm so happy, I am so happy!)
0:57:55 > 0:57:58It is a wild, wild wolf.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03With reports of a new pack in Washington state,
0:58:03 > 0:58:06the team push even further down the Cascade Mountains.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11- Isaac strikes gold. - HE HOWLS
0:58:11 > 0:58:14WOLVES HOWL
0:58:18 > 0:58:21Jasmine goes wolf hunting.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23This is an AR-15.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25It's a semi-automatic.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27It's an assault weapon.
0:58:27 > 0:58:29I've got 30 rounds.
0:58:30 > 0:58:32And the team make a dramatic breakthrough
0:58:32 > 0:58:37that has far-reaching consequences for the return of the wolf.
0:58:37 > 0:58:38I never thought in 20 years
0:58:38 > 0:58:41that I've been looking for wolves in these mountains
0:58:41 > 0:58:42that I would see this.
0:58:42 > 0:58:45Thank you, thank you so much.
0:58:45 > 0:58:48Isaac, you're the man! I'm so thrilled!
0:59:10 > 0:59:13Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd