Yellowstone – Epic Yellowstone: Return of the Predators (2019)

Directed by: Thomas Winston, Eric Bendick | 52 minutes | documentary | Narrator: Bill Pullman

Yellowstone was declared a national park by the US government in 1872, the first area in the world to receive this honor. Still, that status didn’t hinder the steady decimation of the large predators native to the American natural pearl. For example, in 1926, the last Yellowstone wolf was shot. The mighty grizzly bear never completely disappeared from the park, but it didn’t matter much. At its historic low, the population in Yellowstone was barely 150 individuals.

The disappearance of the apex predators did Yellowstone no good ecologically. In particular, the wapitik herds (the North American version of the red deer) grew unbridled and devoured large parts of the nature reserve. This overgrazing had adverse consequences for the entire ecosystem. Plant species disappeared, which in turn had an impact on birds and many small mammals. The latter group also suffered greatly from the increasing number of coyotes, which took advantage of the absence of the wolves.

Advances in ecological understanding led to the reintroduction of the wolf in 1995. The result was astonishing. The number of wapitis decreased not only due to active predation; the fear of wolves has also made the Wapitis much more wary and spend less time in the same places. The result: vegetation recovery, the growth of willow and poplar groves and an increase in the number of beavers as the deer no longer devour the banks. The wolf’s return has also led to a significant decline in the coyote population, a development that benefits small mammals and the rare gaff antelope. The entire ecosystem has therefore become a lot healthier due to the renewed presence of the wolf. The grizzly population has also reached a decent level over the years.

The title ‘Epic Yellowstone: Return of the Predators’ gives it away of course: it is the large predators of Yellowstone that steal the show in this beautiful nature documentary. The film is an episode of the American four-part ‘Epic Yellowstone’, which was produced in 2019 for the Smithsonian Channel and National Geographic themed channels. The protagonists are the lone wolf Blacktail, seeking the warmth and affection of a pack, and the old grizzly lady Quad Mom (so named because her first litter was quadruplets, which is quite rare among bears). Various other inhabitants of the world’s oldest national park, such as the ubiquitous ravens, lightning-quick gaff antelope, stately wapitis, robust bison, cunning coyotes and elusive pumas, are extensively or fleetingly reviewed.

As for the camera work, ‘Epic Yellowstone: Return of the Predators’ is a fine piece of film work. Close-ups, so sharp that you can almost count the furs of the wolves and grizzlies, are interspersed with aerial images that show the vastness of Yellowstone. In addition, the film also contains quite a few action shots of hunting wolves and bears. The wolves glide gracefully and almost carelessly through the landscape as they chase their prey, aided by an enormous stamina that we humans can only dream of. Bill Pullman’s somewhat lived-in narration fits well with the images and the story told.

Although the film sometimes lapses into a slight anthropomorphism, this never becomes disturbing. The information provided is sometimes a bit on the meager side. It’s also a bit of a shame that, given the period in which it was made, the documentary doesn’t mention the Trump administration’s anything but nature-friendly policy. This has considerably expanded the possibilities for hunting wolves and bears. Still, ‘Epic Yellowstone: Return of the Predators’ is a fine nature film that keeps you captivated from start to finish.