”White
Wolves: Ghosts of the Arctic” is a somewhat scary documentary about the
wildlife of Ellesmere Island, a Canadian territory in the Arctic Sea only 1,000
km from the North Pole. The human population of the island is only about 200
people, but wildlife seems to be thriving despite the hard climatic conditions.
The main part of this production, signed Ivo Nörenberg and Oliver Goetzl, deals
with the Arctic wolf or White wolf, a subspecies of the Grey wolf found in the North
American High Arctic. We also get to meet muskoxen, Arctic foxes and Arctic
hares. Birds shown include jaegers (skuas).
The lives
of Arctic wolves are brutal, and I´m almost tempted to say that “wolf is wolf
to other wolves”. The flocks are fiercely territorial, but also competitive,
and make frequent incursions into each other´s respective areas. Wolves attack
and destroy the dens of other wolves, killing and eating the pups in the
process. They also attack strays which accidentally or otherwise find
themselves on the wrong side of the territorial divides. Yes, we get to see all
this intra-wolf killing in the documentary. So you assumed animals never attack
other animals of the same species? Think again, sonny! No Kropotkinesque mutual
aid here.
Personally,
I admit that ”Ghosts of the Arctic” made me wax philosophical on more than one
occasion. If you are an atheist-materialist, this is the only world that
exists. You may whine about it all you like, but the universe (and the High
Arctic) don´t give a damn. And if you´re a Neo-Pagan, I suppose you have to "relate" to these "magical creatures". Or something.
Coming soon to a neighborhood near you – hungry cannibalistic
wolves. Happy hunting…
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