WOLF MISSION - ARTE Regards program

This shooting was epic and extremely enjoyable - two words that best describe it. We had planned lots of things, including being in a blind and some scenes in specific locations, but the weather changed all our plans ! There was heavy snowfall both the night before and during the two days of shooting. So we had to change our plans, and that's what made this adventure so funny and unique ! A lovely team, bucolic landscapes, a relaxed atmosphere, frozen feet, GPS that took us around, snow-covered roads, laughter and in-depth conversations made this experience unforgettable.

For those of you who don't know how images are shot for that type of TV documentary (kinda of a movie shooting), we'll explain how it happened. On the first day, we met somewhere to get to know each other and explain our wishes, as well as the direction the filmmakers wanted to take. The goal was then to film camera trap survey, as well as to show the public what fieldwork consists of, in a study like this one. It's important to realize that what's shown in such a TV report doesn't reflect reality, but only a tiny part of the enormous amount of work that goes on every year in Arsene's territory. The weather was a bit of a spoilsport, so we had to improvise, especially when it came to the part we were supposed to be in a blind, observing. It was a difficult day for the team, as the snow made travelling off-road very complicated. But we laughed a lot ! 

On the second day, we had to get down to the real work of the study, making cutaways from the "post-fieldwork" discussions, when examining the videos filmed by us or by the camera traps. We were in a nice, cosy place where we were able to shoot even though it was cold. We then visited a local farmer and guardian dogs breeder to discuss the extremely important aspect of communication with the various players involved in the wolf issue. Farmers are the most affected by the wolf presence, so it's vital to work with them, listen & talk to them. We spent a magical time on his farm, surrounded by his animals and guardian dogs, discussing protection, the issues wolves pose for livestock farmers, the solutions that can be found and the need to support farmers. Over a nice cup of tea, conversations flowed freely, as we discovered all aspects of this complex subject, and learned from the life stories of all the speakers.

Unfortunately, for timing reasons (the report giving the floor to other people), the part with the breeder could not be included in the report, which we sincerely regret. Our study is not focused on protection or its management, but the behavior of a pack, on its territory and with regard to predation, is important and we would have put it on the program for this year 2024, if preventive regulation hadn't upset everything and put a stop to a complete study. For this reason, the part with the farmer provided important information, necessary for the study.

The TV documentary is therefore a small summary of Wolf Mission's work, since our team is much larger and our "missions" are now much more varied and specific. There was also an important element in this report, which was the sinae qua non: the protection of the pack in Arsène. We wanted to keep all information and locations secret, so as not to harm him, and this was respected by the film crew. Here you'll meet the two co-directors of Wolf Mission, as well as some of the filming scenes and information.

Our heartfelt thanks go to our entire "Mission Loup" team, Groupe Loup Suisse, our loyal followers & volunteers, Yan-So and, of course, the film crew, James & Sylvain.

Even though it's only in french, you can now watch the TV documentary Jura, qui a peur du loup ? 

A final word to correct some information that was given in the TV report but is incorrect : Switzerland has not authorized the slaughter of 180 wolves, but only of around 80 individuals, out of an estimated population of around 300 wolves by 2023. There must have been some confusion, during editing, with the 60% of packs that could be targeted by preventive regulation.

Article : Wolf Mission
Photos : Arte Regards