Alex Walters, an assistant producer on the award-winning programme Planet Earth III, had an incredible experience while filming Arctic wolves for the show’s sixth installment, Extremes. Spending three months camping on an isolated island in the Canadian Arctic, Alex and her crew embarked on a challenging mission to capture these majestic creatures on film.
Their journey took them across Ellesmere, where they covered up to 50 miles per day on all-terrain vehicles in search of a wolf pack. The crew faced extreme weather conditions and unexpected challenges, but their determination led them to remarkable encounters with the Arctic wolves.
Alex shared her excitement about the experience, saying, “The first time I met them, it was crazy. I’d never met an Arctic wolf before. They just walked up to me, and they were within meters of me. It was just the most incredible moment. And the way they look at you, you can tell they’re just curious.”
Setting up camp in such an unforgiving environment was no easy task. Alex recalled a dramatic incident where katabatic winds struck their camp in the middle of the night, blowing away their kitchen tent and causing damage to their other tents. Despite the setback, they managed to recover and continue their mission.
The crew’s presence in the Arctic caught the attention of the wolves, who couldn’t resist exploring their camp. The curious animals would rummage through their belongings, even stealing someone’s Wellington boot and tearing it to ribbons.
While they had hoped to film Arctic wolf pups, none of the packs had any that year. However, the crew embraced the unpredictability of nature and let the wolves dictate the story. Alex described a surreal moment where she felt a deep connection to the wild while encountering the wolves.
“There was a moment, a really odd moment that we don’t really get very often in modern life, where you sort of feel this very wild feeling. As I was walking towards the equipment tent, I suddenly realized the wolves were at the tent, and they suddenly clocked me. One of them looked at me and tilted his head, and then the others looked up, and they all tilted their heads and looked at me, and they started walking towards me. It felt how it must have felt back in the Stone Age when you feel this real sort of fear. But out there, you do get these visceral, almost ancient feelings. So that was something that will definitely stay with me.”
The sixth installment of Sir David Attenborough’s latest series of Planet Earth will premiere on BBC One and iPlayer on November 26. Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more captivating stories. Share your own story ideas with us at bristol@bbc.co.uk.
