National Geographic Channel Presents The Remarkable Journey Of A Man Living With Wolves
Maverick Researcher Raises Abandoned Wolf Cubs;
Teaches Them by Example How to Survive in the Wild

With its yellow-gold eyes, sharp claws and long, pointed fangs, the wolf has elicited fear among humans through the ages. In myths and legends, it has been vilified as a nocturnal killer howling under the moonlight. Wolves are seldom seen up close and rarely encountered, but one man has crossed the boundaries into their mysterious world.

Three abandoned wolf pups led one man to make a daring move: raise a pack of wolves in captivity by living with them - as a wolf, teaching them by example how to survive in the wild. The Wolfman, a one-hour special premiering on National Geographic Channel on Tue, July 3 @ 16:00, presents the unique story of Shaun Ellis, a man who has given up everything to take a daring and unorthodox approach to understanding wolves' every move - living and behaving like them, howling, licking and snarling like them, even eating carcass meat like them.

The Wolfman documents this man's incredible journey to better grasp the complex nature of wolf society by immersing himself in their world as their accepted leader. It is a curious side-by-side study that provides Shaun with one-of-a-kind insight into this feared predator.

"Although many people refer to [wolves] as savage killers," he says, "I've come to know and love [them] as family."

He has been called a maverick and a madman. What do scientific experts make of this attempt to wholeheartedly enter the wolf world? Could mainstream research be improved by such radical methods? And what other knowledge could be gleaned of this creature that has fascinated and terrified men for eons, as only an insider could divulge?

At first glance, Shaun looks like an average, rugged man: wearing a zippered fleece and muddy sneakers, his long hair is tangled, face weathered and scruffy. But while he may speak with a British accent, he readily shifts to a series of menacing growls or woeful howls, fiercely flashing his teeth or licking the muzzles of his North American timber wolf family, all in an attempt to communicate with them as one of them.

The programme follows every step of the wolves' incredible upbringing, from their first howling lesson and eating meat pieces from Shaun's mouth, to their growing independence and aggression during mealtime, even forcing Shaun to accept a more submissive role in the pack. Along the way, he shares bits of insight, explaining the proper howl for keeping rival packs away and deciphering mealtime competition over a fresh kill, right down to what determines which morsels will go to which pack member. Shaun also reveals the importance of scent to the social interactions of wolves, in addition to the role it plays in their perception of the world around them. It is a harsh battle each day, coming under nature's laws and the wolves' rules, to which Shaun has sacrificed everything: his life, marriage and family.

Hear from experts who are both intrigued by and sceptical of Shaun's unorthodox methods - such as Dr. Chris Darimont, a wolf biologist with the Raincoast Conservation Society's wolf project and instructor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia; biologist Doug Smith, project leader of the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Project; and Kyran Kunkel, senior conservation scientist for the Conservation Science Collaborative and senior fellow with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Marvelously strange, startlingly intriguing and teeming with remarkable insight and perhaps potential future applications for man's relationship with wolves, The Wolfman offers an intimate portrait of wolves and the man who has gone to amazing lengths to understand and protect them.

The Wolfman is produced by Aqua Vita Films for National Geographic Channel. Executive producer and director for Aqua Vita is Bernard Walton. Executive Vice President of Content for NGCI is Sydney Suissa.

The Wolf Man Timings (UAE)
Tue, Jul 3 @ 16:00
Wed, Jul 4 @ 03:00
Wed, Jul 10 @ 07:00
Thu, Jul 26 @ 15:00
Fri, Jul 27 @ 02:00

To read and know more about him, read his biography, click here