I’m about halfway through watching this show… it’s fascinating but more than a little gross. Anyone else watching it?
I’m not watching it (I forgot, actually), but the commercial was very strange. Was he making out with a wolf in the commercial?
No, he was doing various dominance/submission rituals
I can’t wait until this guy buys it like the bear guy bought it.
Marc
I saw a bit of it on one of the news-magazine shows, but not much. Did they explain why he is doing that stuff?
Which tells pretty much everyone that you know nothing about what he’s doing, why he’s doing it, who he is, and what the show is about. Very nice. How about going and fighting your ignorance instead of basically flopping your mental inadequacy out for everyone to see?
riker- Ellis is a wolf researcher/behaviorist who works primarily with captive wolf populations. In addition to the scientific research he’s been doing for a number of years, he has also been working on the problems faced by captive wolf populations- he wants these populations to eventually be re-introduced to the wild, but they suffer from fewer instinctive behaviors than their wild cousins. When he found a litter of wolf pups who had been abandoned, he decided to try to raise them as “wild” wolves (as much as possible, considering they were still contained within the wolf reservation) in the hopes that they would then teach their offspring the same instincts he was imparting to them. He is very well-spoken and recognizes that the wolves don’t necessary need a human to teach them anything- he just wants to give them a chance.
He’s also working with ranch/farm owners on a way to keep wolves from killing livestock by playing certain wolf sounds/howls rather than, you know, KILLING them for doing what they do to survive.
I had wanted to watch this, but forgot all about it. I’ll check listings when I get home, but I’m sure it’ll be on again. Is it a series? Or a special?
Minor nit – doesn’t instinct imply something untaught? I would have said “skills” or maybe “knowledge”.
Sailboat
Perfectly acceptable nit; you’re right. I was typing a bit too quickly for my own good. Consider “skills” substituted in. 
You know better than this, bobkitty. No insults are allowed outside of the Pit. Please don’t do this again.
::bowing low:: My apologies, Skip- you’re absolutely correct. I let my sensitivity on the topic get to my head after a long day at work.
To be fair, you should’ve seen the first version. 