The Right To Be Wild

Showings

Mary D. Fisher Theatre Tue, Apr 17, 2018 7:00 PM
Film Info
Event Type:Documentary Feature
Release Year:2017
Run Time:88 minutes
Production Country:United States
Trailer:https://vimeo.com/240898684
Cast/Crew Info
Director:Katja Torneman
Producer(s):Katja Torneman
Tom Buckley
Peter Blystone

Description

In the Mountains of Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico lives a very rare and critically endangered wolf, the Mexican Gray Wolf, also called Lobo.

“The Right To Be Wild” is a tale of hope, determination and science about the most endangered subspecies of gray wolf in the world. It is also a story about the dedicated people who work tirelessly trying to save them.

By the early 1970s, the Lobo were thought to be completely gone from the wild. A new era dawned for the Lobo when U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Mexican Government began a daring plan to try to save them from extinction. A trapper was hired to capture wild Lobos. Only one female and four males were located in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico. Extinction was nearly a fact because they were the last Lobo’s found in the wild.

In this documentary you will see beautiful nature and wolf footage, rare film of the last wild Lobos, biologists tracking Lobos from helicopters and on the ground, wolf ecotourism, conservationists, everyday citizens, and students trying to save the life of the Lobo. Today the Lobo continues to face serious genetic challenges. Inbreeding depression is a concern in the current wild population. As of Feb. 2018, there were only 114 Mexican wolves counted in the wilds of the southwest, a number that is still far too small after 20 years of recovery and reintroduction. 

“The Right To Be Wild” could not be more timely as March marked the 20th anniversary of the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf. Even after 20 years, the population remains at approximately 112 wolves residing within Arizona and New Mexico. Many organizations continue to advocate on behalf of the Mexican Gray, one of the most endangered species on the planet.

Immediately following the film screening will be Q&A with distinguished guests including Craig Miller from Defenders of Wildlife, Emily Renn, Executive Director of Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project, filmmaker Katja Toreneman and, of course, the Apex Ambassador Pack of wolf dogs.