"Intimidate Wolves with Your Voice" - Wolves find your voice intimidating
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken an unconventional approach to protect cattle from wolves, using audio from a heated argument scene in the 2019 film Marriage Story, featuring Scarlett Johansson's voice.
In this innovative method, drones equipped with thermal cameras and loudspeakers are deployed in areas like Oregon’s Klamath Basin. These drones broadcast the intense dialogue from the argument scene, along with other alarming sounds such as fireworks, gunshot sounds, and even rock music like AC/DC's "Thunderstruck". The goal is to make wolves associate the human voice and disturbances with danger, thereby protecting cattle without harming the animals.
Since implementing this "wolf hazing" technique, livestock deaths have dropped significantly. Whereas 11 cattle were killed in just 20 days, there were only two deaths in 85 days after the method was introduced [1][2][4].
The emotionally charged voice of Scarlett Johansson, who plays an artist couple going through a divorce in "Marriage Story" alongside Adam Driver, has proven surprisingly effective at repelling wolves. The scene, originally depicting a bitter custody battle, was chosen for its raw emotional intensity to convey a sense of human threat [1][2].
While the approach has shown notable success in reducing cattle losses, there is no detailed scientific study publicly available yet evaluating the specific acoustic properties causing wolves to respond negatively to Johansson's voice or the argument scene audio more generally.
The use of a movie scene and human voices for wildlife management is unconventional and has sparked interest and some controversy. While the USDA presents the method as a humane, non-lethal way to protect livestock, critics might question the ethical implications of using emotionally charged human voices or the potential stress on wildlife. The USDA has declined to comment further to the media, and no significant public controversy or official criticism has surfaced so far [1][2].
This novel and somewhat controversial method is aimed at non-lethal, humane wildlife management. The USDA is using Johansson's voice from Marriage Story as part of its wolf deterrence program [1][2][4]. The drones broadcast the audio and other alarming sounds to scare wolves away from cattle, and the approach appears to be effective, with livestock kills dropping markedly after implementation [1][2].
- I'm not gonna let this novel approach to wolf deterrence, using Johansson's emotional voice from Marriage Story, get away with being deemed unethical or inhumane, given its significant success in reducing cattle losses.
- In the realm of entertainment-driven wildlife management, debates are heating up over the USDA's use of movie scenes and celebrities' voices, like Scarlett Johansson, for non-lethal, humane wolf hazing – a practice that's making waves in the movies-and-tv and entertainment sectors.
