The return of the wolf
Witness History
BBC
4.5 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 22 August 2019
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995. It was the start of one of the most famous and controversial wildlife restoration projects in the United States. Beginning in the late 19th century wolves had been subjected to a mass extermination programme as ranchers feared the wolf was a threat to their livestock. By the mid 20th century, wolves had effectively been wiped out across the country except for a few isolated pockets in the far north. But the loss of this key predator had a profound impact on the ecosystem. Alex Last has been speaking to Doug Smith, Senior Biologist at Yellowstone National Park, and Wolf Project Leader about the return of the wolf.
Photo:.A Yellowstone wolf watches biologists after being tranquilized and fitted with a radio collar during wolf collaring operations in Yellowstone National Park (William Campbell/Sygma via Getty Images)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Choosing what to watch night after night the flicking through the endless |
| 0:06.8 | searching is a nightmare we want to help you on our brand new podcast off the |
| 0:11.8 | telly we share what we've been watching |
| 0:14.0 | Cladie Aide. |
| 0:16.0 | Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming. |
| 0:19.0 | Lovely. Off the telly with me Joanna Paige. |
| 0:21.0 | And me, Natalie Cassidy, so your evenings can be a little less |
| 0:24.9 | searching and a lot more auction listen on BBC BBC. BBC. |
| 0:35.0 | Hello and welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service with me Alex Last. |
| 0:41.0 | And today we go back to 1995 to one of the most famous and most controversial wildlife restoration |
| 0:48.9 | projects in the United States when gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. |
| 0:56.0 | It was magical and you knew you were being part of history. |
| 1:02.0 | Wolves have a tremendous presence. |
| 1:07.0 | You know, it's like that chorismatic person that walks into the room |
| 1:11.0 | and everything changes. That's a wolf walking into Yellowstone. |
| 1:16.0 | After an absence of 70 years, in 1995, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, the world's first national The World's First National Park 9,000 Square kilometers of stunning unfenced |
| 1:29.0 | wilderness in the Western United States. Because this animal is so legendary, they are a symbol of wildness. |
| 1:38.0 | I mean, all you have to do to know that is to hear their howl or look into their eyes. |
| 1:43.0 | And you know that's what we have eliminated across the globe. |
| 1:48.0 | All countries, continents, whatever you want to say. |
| 1:51.0 | You know, we're not in touch with nature anymore and there's |
| 1:54.2 | no better animal to bring it back than a wolf. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.