Anna Hartz
Wolves Flee as Marriage Story Argument Echoes Through Oregon
Movies can do a lot. They can make us laugh, cry, think, or even argue. But no one really expected a serious scene from a movie about divorce to be used to scare animals away from cattle.
Yet that’s exactly what’s happening in Oregon, where drones are using one of Hollywood’s most intense arguments as a high-tech scare tactic, writes El Economista.
Marriage Story Keeps the Wolves Away
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is testing a new method to protect livestock from wolves.
They’re flying drones equipped with thermal cameras and loudspeakers. These drones scan the area at night and shine spotlights on any wolves they detect.
Then the speakers play loud, unpleasant noises to drive them away.
Among the sounds used are fireworks, gunshots, and yelling. But the most surprising audio? A heated argument from the 2019 film Marriage Story.
It’s the famous shouting match between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Both actors were nominated for Oscars for their roles in the film. The scene is emotional and intense — and apparently, very effective at startling wolves.
Paul Wolf, a supervisor at Oregon’s Department of Agriculture, says the goal is to remind wolves that humans mean danger. “I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad,” he said.
Technological Wildlife Management
But it’s not just movie scenes doing the work. The drones also blast loud rock music like AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” and “Blue on Black” by Five Finger Death Punch.
These sounds, combined with the light and noise of the drone, are meant to interrupt the wolves’ hunting patterns.
The results are promising. The drones were sent into the Klamath Basin after wolves killed 11 cows in just 20 days.
Over the following 85 days, only two cows were killed while drones were on patrol.
It’s an unusual mix of technology, pop culture, and wildlife management. But if it helps protect farmers’ livestock and keep wolves at a distance without harming them, it might just work.
