The Dutchers talk about the Project

For centuries, wolves have haunted the human imagination. It has been accepted as conventional wisdom that they are savage predators, creatures of nightmare. Determined to overcome such misconceptions, we spent six years in a tented camp living with and filming a pack of wolves.

Wolves are so intelligent and elusive that they alter their behavior when closely observed by humans. If a wolf senses that it’s being watched it most likely will run away. We knew in advance that seeing wolves at all is a rare enough occurrence; to see them demonstrate their social structure, their methods of communication, and their private family life requires special conditions.

If we were to film an intimate portrait of the wolf, we needed to get close enough to see into their eyes. By socializing with the pack from the time they were pups, we were able to gain the wolves’ trust and observe their behavior in a way that few people ever have.

On the edge of Idaho’s Sawtooth Wilderness we built the largest enclosure of its kind and created an environment where a pack of wolves could open their lives to us and accept us as just another part of their world.

While the wolves could not hunt or roam without boundaries, they were free to build their own society, choose their leader, and sort out their own disputes. We called them The Sawtooth Pack, and set out to capture their intimate lives on film, to dispel myths and show a side of wolves never seen before.

...Continue here