Review by Warren J. Dew for Wolves: A Legend Returns to Yellowstone
Rating:
A century ago, wolves were still common in the American West. By 1930, they had been wiped out in the lower 48 states. This video chronicles the reintroduction of three wolf packs, transported from Canada, to Yellowstone National Park.

The video primarily follows one pack of wolves – the “Druid’s Peak” pack, named for the territory they claimed after release – for about two years after they were transported to Yellowstone. You’ll see some of the wolves’ first hunts, and how they pick out one target animal from the herd and coordinate to run it down – and you’ll also see other hunts under different conditions, on powder and crusted snow and at night. You’ll see how the pack defends its territory from other wolves, and how it reacts to scavengers trying to steal bits of its kills.

The video also shows how the pack’s internal hierarchy works, with an alpha male and alpha female at the top, and new puppies being integrated at the bottom. Individuals that threaten the positions of the alphas are thrown out of the pack to become lone wolves – but the alphas themselves can also be replaced. One of the most interesting sequences covers how the pack tests a new male after their own alpha male is lost.

There is some footage of the people doing the filming and the research – but not too much. As in all the best wildlife videos, the focus is not on the humans, but on the wildlife. If you want to learn about wolves, you won’t go wrong with this video.

Review by P. Pasda for Wolves: A Legend Returns to Yellowstone
Rating:
I bought this dvd because one of the dogs I purchased showed so many signs of wolf pack behavior in a more aggressive way that any other dog I had had. She was just eight weeks old and meant to be my service dog. I had to train her though I was and still am fighting cancer.This dvd series helped me train her into a full service dog…she passed all her tests and was the very best.

I learned to train her from watching this film. The visuals are stunning and the information presented is so clear and you can come to understand better the way of the pack and how the family functions for survival. This in an incredible educational tool for all ages.Yellowstone Wolves in the Wild

Review by Brugal1618 for Wolves: A Legend Returns to Yellowstone
Rating:
Warren J. Dew’s review is on target. Rather than repeating his info, I’d like to add the following:

I bought this video directly from national geographic so that they would use part of the proceeds towards their organization and I felt good about that, but the video itself is perhaps worth $5 dollars and the donation worth $15.

Unfortunately, this video does not keep up with the same level of quality available on their television shows. The video is not high definition which really makes a difference with nature videos. There are no DVD extras with expert interviews, wildlife/volunteer organizations for wolves, etc. All in all, it would be great if National Geographic did a part 2 to this video, which seems more like a rough draft than a finished product based on 2009 standards.