Wolfblood Uncovered (2013) s01e10 Episode Script

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