Some wolves are endangered, but no cattlemen want to lose their cattle. So, as a ‘peaceful’ remedy, wolves are being scared off using the emotional argument in Marriage Story.
Animals like Gray Wolves are on the list of endangered species, and so killing them is a big no-no. But, they’re still wolves, and they still kill cows. So, there have had to be new and inventive solutions found, besides shooting them.
What we now have are drone cowhands, piloted over the herds. These quadcopters are armed with infrared cameras and a loudspeaker. Using the camera, they can pick out wolves lurking in the fields. They then get close to them and blast something loud and scary to make the wild beasts flee.
According to the WSJ, they use all sorts of noises. “A loudspeaker broadcasts alarming sounds like fireworks, gunshots, and people arguing. One recording is of the fight between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver in the movie Marriage Story.”
Strange But Effective
It might seem like madness, but the proof is in the pudding. There have been significantly fewer cow deaths, and the wolves are left unharmed. They may develop a little trauma, but at least they’re not dead.
The WSJ reported that “Drones were deployed in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon after 11 cows were killed by wolves there in a 20-day period. Over the next 85 days, when drones were on patrol, only two were killed.”
The process is intended to train the wolves that humans are bad, and although they might not understand the argument in Marriage Story, the drone cowboys believe that the anguish of the Oscar-winning act will transcend species.
This peaceful use of drones to scare wolves away from herds of cattle is a fantastic idea. The future of the Cowboys has been changed forever. The image of a denim-clad man on the back of a horse is over. Now, it’s a denim-clad man, on the back of a horse, with a virtual reality headset on. Not quite as deamy, I have to say.
But, if it helps with the endangered species of wolves, they should blast all the Marriage Story audio they need.