Chasing the Phantom

January 29, 2013 PBS Wisconsin Leave a Comment

Watch Nature “Wolverine: Chasing the Phantom” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30 on Wisconsin Public Television.

I think one of the most interesting things you could ever get on camera is a person’s reaction to seeing something amazing for the first time. Can you imagine the look on someone’s face when they happen to be strolling through the woods and see a cute little thirty-pound wolverine take down a 6-foot moose? Talk about a sight to see, especially if you don’t know what the animal is and if it may or may not come for you next.

I suppose the only thing worse in a situation where you’re out in the wild with a dangerous predator, is not seeing the attacker at all. At least if you see it, you know what you’re up against and what to look out for. There’s just something unsettling about not knowing, and it tends to be quite hard to shake that feeling. I remember being out in Colorado at a nature preserve… one minute I was looking at a loon sitting on the edge of the water, turned my back for a minute, suddenly a loud splash. Of course by the time I turned around, the loon was gone and all I could see were the reeds at the shoreline falling back into place. Can’t say that I felt safe walking near tall grass anytime soon.

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