Original subtitles

Nothing here in the forest suggests

that today is the day.

There is no sign of the trouble brewing.

And the wolf, with golden eyes,

does he know what's to come?

The pack scours the undergrowth where it's been camped

out for a few days.

They look for treats to tide them over until the next hunt.

Some dormice or voles.

The wolf with golden eyes is two years old.

He was born into this pack and grew up with it.

But this morning, he decides

that it's time to make a big move.

He approaches the remains of yesterday's meal casually

and ignores the leader of the pack,

the alpha male with the black mask.

He helps himself first, breaking protocol.

Only the alpha male decides when the pack may eat.

His subordinates intervene,

but it's up to him to settle the score.

Now it's black mask versus golden eyes.

The young wolf lowers his tail.

He gambled and lost.

By challenging the alpha this way,

he was making it known that he was a worthy replacement.

But from now on, it's exile for him.

Returning would be a death sentence.

Here in the forest, a chapter is closing,

but another is already taking shape.

It's the story of the wolf with golden eyes, Slava.

A lone wolf seeking a new pack.

He will cross all of Europe,

from Romania all the way to Spain.

But what will this amazing journey cost him?

If he is left alone, he will die.

Will he be accepted by another pack?

And how will he forge a path

between the two deeply clashing worlds?

Civilization on one side and wildlife on the other.

Who will his enemies be?

And who will listen to his call?

The call to peace between nature and mankind.

The call brought to us by Slava, the wolf with golden eyes.

Now he's determined to make it on his own.

Slava is what scientists call a disperser.

Dispersion is that powerful urge driving certain young

to abandon their groups.

When it's time for Slava to leave,

he does so instinctively without knowing why.

Science explains it simply:

dispersion prevents inbreeding within wolf packs.

It permits motivated youngsters

to gain an inconceivable privilege,

one that only alpha wolves possess:

the right to reproduce.

Slava was born in a Romanian forest near Brasov.

For young wolves, leaving the pack is a dangerous gamble.

Most disperses die in exile.

A fact Slava is unaware of.

His only concern of the day are the odors here

because wolves use their finely honed sense

of smell to track their prey.

Despite his hunger pangs,

he's put off by the badger's stench.

It's a definite no to this meal.

With 40 times more olfactory neurons than we have,

his sense of smell is so acute that he

can read the forest like an open book.

Slava catches a whiff of a vole

that was here within the hour.

Strange path, unusual odor.

Even the sounds are different.

What to make of this peculiar forest?

Far too much racket.

Slava has never heard such a noisy animal.

Five days on the trail and 200 kilometers lie between him

and his former pack.

He's now entering unknown territory

but his needs are the same; hunt and eat.

Slava has eaten nothing since his departure.

Upwind is a doe that would typically take

a group to bring down.

Slava is alone, but he's famished,

so he'll take his chances.

Who is this predator so powerful that it can fell

its prey with a single blow but won't take it with him?

He hasn't a clue, but Slava flees this blaring beast

with fear in his belly.

It's a belly far too empty

for a carnivore in need of calories.

Today Slava still hasn't secured the two kilos of meat

he needs daily to survive.

The young wolf is exhausted.

He sleeps to conserve energy.

Tomorrow, without fail, he'll need to find food or else.

When prey is scarce, why not freeload?

To avoid conflict, a brown bear will sometimes allow

a wolf pack to share in its spoils.

Slava knows that he's outmatched

but he has to take a risk.

Slava soon realizes that without his pack,

he has zero clout.

At some point in their journeys, disperses like Slava,

know instinctively that survival depends entirely

on rejoining a pack.

Slava continues to look for scent markers;

urine or scat, signs that indicate the presence

of other wolves.

Without them he'll never get enough to eat.

When you're ravenous, any meal will do.

But prickly creatures are, by nature,

tough to approach.

Summer ends and autumn leaves fall,

and Slava is still here.

How has he survived six months on the highways of Romania?

He's discovered a bit about this strange new world.

A bizarre place where birds don't fly.

No longer on home turf,

he's learned how to raid others to feed himself.

So far, he's been lucky enough to avoid

those he's stealing from.

This morning, Slava is leaving the Romanian forest.

Today he heads down to the plains.

It's his first encounter

with creatures that exhibit some strange behavior.

Slava is puzzled.

The wild prey that evolved

with wolves bolt when they see predators.

But these are apparently docile animals,

domesticated by another creature unknown to Slava.

One that walks upright.

Reflected in their eyes are thousands

of years of conflict and innate mutual fear.

Slava is out of there.

In today's Romania, a wolf's presence may be unwelcome,

but it's no big deal.

Little by little, Slava learns about life

here on the plains.

There are sounds he's never heard.

And let's not forget about those two legged creatures.

Like all wolves, Slava is an opportunist.

To survive, he'll overcome even his deepest fears.

Though maybe not during the day.

Nighttime is wiser.

Hungry wolves won't hesitate to become scavengers.

Their flexible behavior has enabled them to survive

even the toughest times of their evolutionary history.

As a true opportunist, Slava therefore managed to survive,

and here he comes to the Danube.

During his exile, the young wolf has traveled more

than 500 kilometers and has now arrived

at the Serbian border.

He finds a bridge and crosses the big river.

And he finds himself in a place where he can breathe.

Slava has happened upon a Serbian nature reserve.

And here there are scents he knows by heart.

In the underbrush at last.

A wolf pack.

After everything he's been through,

Slava has become humbler, ready to submit to authority.

He spots the alpha male.

Slava's posture says he's not trying to take his place,

he just wants to be a part of the clan.

Request denied.

There's enough food here to feed the pack,

but not to share with even one more wolf.

Alone on the road for seven months now,

Slava has become a master vole hunter.

Modest prey for a wolf, but vital for his survival.

The roaring of the stags will soon come to a close,

heralding winter's arrival.

Slava sets out to storm the mountains of Serbia

still very much alive, at least for now.

Because braving the winter alone

is a nearly impossible feat.

The vibrations in the ground are hard to ignore.

It's someone's unlucky day.

But this morning, a chance encounter will change everything.

A crow hidden nearby calling loudly.

Slava finally decides to see what all the cawing is about.

It's a bunch of crows feasting on a meal

a whole lot heartier than rodents.

A wild Boar.

Enough food to help Slava create energy reserves

for the winter.

A number of studies have shown that wolves

and crows can indeed work together,

and this crow is clearly inviting Slava

to become his partner.

With his bird's eye view, he can guide Slava to prey

he can't kill himself, but on which he can dine.

once the wolf has done his job.

Slava is no longer alone.

He howls with delight.

The two can be a pack, even if it's fanged and feathered.

He invites the crow to share his territory, which he marks

with urine and with his personal signature,

the pheromones he disperses through the scent glands

between the toes of his feet.

But the beginning of the any relationship

is a balancing act.

They have to get to know each other.

The crow tests Slava, leading him to his favorite prey,

a stag.

But Slava's not the brash youngster he once was.

The deer's enormous antlers could kill him.

Find something smaller, please.

Really?

From his new perch, the crow points Slava toward

more accessible prey.

What a mouth watering sight.

Slava knows that this time he's got this.

For a while, the lone wolf seems to enjoy life

now that's in good company.

But after a few weeks, he realizes

that what he's really missing is the company of wolves.

He howls, hoping other displaced wolves

will answer his call.

Plaintive cries that pierce the winter silence.

Though the absence of wolves in the area

is a relief to other forest dwellers.

The first thaw arrives.

Through the end of winter he's on the move

through nine, 10, and finally 11 months of exile.

Finally, spring is here.

Everyone's hungry, hungry for life

and for all the promises of spring.

One year into his journey, Slava is leaner,

but still ready to take on the world.

And how he crosses the border between Serbia and Bosnia,

making his way through nature reserves, up mountains,

and across forests.

He arrives in Croatia.

He's already logged more than 1,000 kilometers.

From Croatia it's another 200 kilometers to Slovenia.

Next it's onto Austria.

And finally, Italy.

400 more.

At the end of spring, Slava arrives on the banks

of Europe's last wild river, the Tagliamento.

And there, at last, another wolf.

Well, not just any wolf, it's a female all alone

without a pack, just like him.

He's careful not to look her in the eye.

Wolves consider direct eye contact a sign of aggression.

On the other hand, there's no harm in showing

off their fishing skills and bonding over a tasty meal.

This is how the king of the vole hunters

will court the queen of the trout fishers.

This is what Slava has been longing for.

The joyful howls are all about togetherness.

Not only has he found his wolf pack, but also his mate.

Like all wolves, Slava will mate for life.

But the river banks are no place for a wolf.

He must move on again.

Because wolves thrive best in the forest.

And now Slava has backup, convincing others to

seed the fruits of their labors is much easier as a team.

The bear tries to salvage what he can, but finally gives up.

Slava is still in battle mode.

The adrenaline rush will soon subside.

But at a primal level,

something inside him has awakened and he's changing.

It's pure instinct that impels him to take the lead,

guiding his mate toward the Alps.

Together they cross Italy.

They carry within a drive that all wolves share

to conquer new territories.

They follow a path Italian wolves used more

than 20 years ago to travel to France

where their species would disappear.

Now, Slava and his mate have also crossed the border.

Something has changed in Slava,

he's now the one protecting his pack, deciding where to go,

when to move on, who to hunt.

Slava has become an alpha male.

As several studies show, all wolves, including Slava

and his mate, prefer a wild over domesticated prey.

The kind of prey they can chase

just like their ancestors did.

Hopefully enough wild prey still survive.

So wolves won't have to fall back on domestic prey.

It goes without saying that a shepherd who loves his animals

will do anything to protect them.

But that night he looked into the wolf's golden eyes.

A look that made him believe that if there's a will

there'll be a way for creatures to live in harmony one day.

The resurgence of wolves can be catastrophic

for small farmers.

For Slava and his mate, so is going without food.

The wolves continue to travel the Alps,

searching for a home full of wild prey.

This nature reserve seems perfect,

but apparently it's already occupied by a wolf pack

with a litter.

There's ample prey here, without it,

the alpha male and his mate would never have produced cubs.

But are they willing to share with two more wolves?

Slava is an untested leader.

The other seems more battled gardened.

Slava is losing ground.

Even though he knows the drill, expose your fangs

the better to ward off intruders.

But other trespassers are coming.

The pack scatters.

The alpha male heads straight for the hunters.

Slava and his mate take off in the opposite direction.

It's not their job to protect this litter.

A very young wolf with his tail tucked low

has followed them.

Slava doesn't know him

but he understands what he wants:

to join a pack just like he wanted to more than a year ago.

But will this wolf be a threat?

The youngster crouches low to show his submission.

All he wants is to be part of Slava's pack.

And Slava accepts him.

Wolves howl together to declare solidarity

and to identify every voice.

They howl to let other packs know that they're strong

now that they are three.

And as three, they can make the forest come alive

with the sounds of their joyful stampede.

It's the kind of music that celebrates an untamed world.

Of course, some wouldn't mind

if wolves disappeared for good.

Aside from hunters, there's nothing much here

to interfere with the cushy lifestyle of wild boars.

Their daily ablutions, spa baths and massage therapy.

This one takes a while to grasp

that there's trouble in paradise.

The deadly bite is so violent that prey

sometimes die of cardiac arrest.

The wolves howl to make sure no other pack has already

claimed this territory.

No one howls back.

But they must move on again.

Here in France, when breeders report losses due

to wolves, the law permits them to kill 40 of them.

But where to go now?

And how to get there?

Beyond the meadows where men guard flocks of sheep

there are other fences for a different kind of herd.

Slava leads his pack.

His newest recruit is terrified,

but Slava's not leaving anyone behind.

The band of three manages to reach Mercantour National Park.

Throughout his journey, Slava has navigated two

vastly opposing worlds;

nature reserves on one hand,

and on the other a land choked by industrial development.

A year after leaving Romania,

Slava reaches Fos-sur-Mer.

From there he'll arrive at the Camargue.

Little by little, like other wolves,

Slava is reclaiming land from which he

was once banished by man.

15,000 wolves now live in Europe.

Their very existence a symbol of wildlife's resilience.

Slava himself is living proof.

The three wolves could easily bring down a bull,

but not if anyone here can help it.

Slava could be stopped by dogs

or electric fences or holding pens

or by these wranglers.

Hey!

Hey!

Slava's journey shows that it's possible to

protect ourselves from wolves without killing them.

But accidents happen.

It's the end of the road for the young male wolf.

80% of wolves in dispersion die

as a result of human activity.

Slava finally finds a way out.

He reaches the Pyrenees.

He follows the mountain ridge until he reaches Spain.

It's here in the Cantabrian Mountains

that Slava would finally make his home.

Slava probably settled in Spain

because game was abundant and humans

and wildlife there found ways to coexist.

Some sheep farmers now opt for smaller flocks,

easier to keep an eye on.

Here and elsewhere in the world

there are human beings who see the wisdom of sharing

our common space.

In the forest, life is flourishing.

Slava and his mate have had their first litter.

When they're grown, some of their young will stay

with the pack and help them raise the next letter.

Others will be fearless enough to seek

the right to reproduce.

And one day, like Slava, they'll risk it all and break away.

Who knows, maybe one day his descendants

will follow the opposite path.

Their instinct could push them to leave Spain

and explore Italy, or maybe even Romania.

In any case, for humans and wildlife to live in harmony,

a world of new ambassadors is here

all thanks to the wolf with golden eyes.