In Being Caribou, Leanne Allison and Karsten Heuer join a herd of caribou on their migration in order to film them as means to increase awareness and to help preserve their habitat. They begin their trek in the Yukon and hope to catch up with the herds before they reach the calving areas. The caribou they follow are a subspecies known as the Porcupine caribou. The name derives from their habitat, which is near the Porcupine River in the Yukon. The herd is estimated to consist of 120,000 animals, but is split into smaller groups. From their winter-feeding grounds they migrate annually to their calving grounds on a coastal plain just over the US-Canadian border in Alaska, where they are not protected.
While making the journey, the caribou endure some of the harshest conditions imaginable. They march slowly through ice and snow, battle against blizzards, encounter numerous predators ranging from bears to eagles and, as spring approaches, contend with all manner of biting insects. The animals’ main motivation is to reach the breeding grounds where they can feed on a special nutrient-rich grass and enjoy the relatively low number of insects in the area.
At the beginning of the journey Allison and Heuer are assisted by a local hunter, Randall Tetlichi. From the very beginning of the film we can see that the preservation of the caribou is of cultural as well as environmental significance. Tetlichi hunts the caribou as a source of income and food. He has been skinning caribou since the age of seven. Their extinction will also mean the end of his lifestyle.
The short time the couple spends with Tetlichi adds a personal dimension to their expedition. Allison has a dream of a river breaking while staying there. Tetlichi tells them this is a sign that the herd has started to move and they should go. The next day they set off on skis, carrying 60-80 lbs, (approx. 27-36 kg.) of equipment. This personal dimension will become more significant as they get closer to their destination.
The beginning of the journey does not hint at the trials to come. Expanses of snow glint in the sunlight. Hills roll gently away then rise sharply as peaks. It is a region that shows only the slightest encroachment from civilization. This world goes on indifferent to these two travelers, their camera and their efforts to save it. Allison compares their pursuit to balancing on an incredibly large log. As they progress it will seem like much more.
A few days into the trip they witness wolves preying on part of the herd. Fortunately, we are spared too much gruesome detail. In this film it’s not necessary. As Heuer reflects, they “are witnessing an age old drama being played out before [their] eyes. It’s unbelievable and at times like this [they] feel part of something much larger.” Already some of the broader themes are being touched on, though at this point he still retains a certain amount of objectivity.
The caribou prove elusive and after an initial sighting the pair lose them while camping. Soon after this they run out of their first three weeks of supplies. Fortunately, this occurs as they near a research station, so they can phone in for one of the food caches they had prepared in advance. Unfortunately, the weather becomes bad and the drop is delayed. Compounding this is the persistent hunger they feel. Allison and Heuer are forced to pick berries and even trap a ground squirrel. To make matters worse bears appear and for the first time on the trip they feel truly threatened. At one point Heuer confesses that he considered giving up despite scaring away a bear with his tent pole.
This point marks quite a dramatic shift in the documentary. At this moment, Allison and Heuer have become a part of the wilderness in ways they never expected. They are foragers, predators, and potential prey. But they do not endure this for long. The supplies arrive and their lives are somewhat restored to the conveniences of the modern world. Yet these moments leave a lingering sense of how easily our security can be removed and the effort required (in this case aircraft) for that feeling to be restored.
Paradoxically, it is at this moment that they display their greatest humanity simply through their determination. Despite what they’ve experienced, they continue because of their ideals. Viewers may not share their passionate concern for the caribou, but Allison and Heuer exemplify in their expedition the power of will.
When not struggling with near starvation or fending off predators, the pair endures the worst weather the region has to offer. Three days of high winds become a blizzard and they are forced to remain in their tent. Outside, the caribou manage to continue, antlers against the prevailing winds, marching onward to where they can calve.
Their human companions happen upon this moment by accident. They awake one morning to find themselves surrounded by mothers with their newly born calves. All around the newborns take their first tentative steps while the mothers stand guard. At this moment all cynicism is swept aside. It’s not just that the two conservationists achieved their aim. They are giving us an insight into the natural world that has not been prettified. It’s raw, uncomfortable, and incredibly moving.
But the documentary does not end in a tidy manenr. Along with these scenes of new life, they capture the ever-present dangers to it, as well. Golden Eagles hover hungrily above the newborns and bears make a second appearance to hunt a calf that got separated from its mother. Though they don’t intervene, Allison and Heuer are much more distressed than when the wolves appeared. There are no platitudes. They only want the calf to find its mother and survive. Like so many, it doesn’t
The sentiment the pair feels is natural. It would take a callous person to disregard the wellbeing of these animals, especially after having spent so much time with them. However, from a biological and conservationist point of view, there should be no reason for alarm. Caribou are the prey of bears and bears themselves are endangered. As cute and playful as the calves are from our perspective, they are part of an ecological relationship. When watching Being Caribou, you might begin to wonder why should we favor one species over another.
Allison particularly shows a strong tendency to anthropomorphize the caribou. She says toward the end that they “are the perfect creature. They’re humble. They just go about their business.” For her they come to represent nature’s oppressed beset at all sides by predators and natural disasters. This is when Being Caribou loses sight of its aims. Personalizing the animals certainly makes conservation easier and seems somewhat unavoidable with a project like this. However, it can also defeat their final purpose because it obscures the more complex biological and ecological realities. Nature isn’t a battle between good and evil.
While it has limitations as a nature documentary, the story it tells of Allison and Heuer is enthralling and inspiring. The caribou are only part of the whole. The migration and their attempts to follow it becomes more a story about them and how they grow, not just as people but in their convictions and understanding of nature.
The final trial they endure seems most unlikely for anyone not familiar with this region. When winter retreats and the course, tough plants flower, the mosquitoes, botflies, and warble flies arrive, the latter two lay eggs in or on the animals. For Allison and Heuer, the insects start as a minor irritation but as the numbers grow, they challenge the sanity of both human and ruminant. One female caribou tries to seek refuge in a small stream. She buries her head in the moss to protect her nostrils from the invasive pests and it seems as though she will not move. Heuer speculates that she will die there.
With most of the ice thawed, they are able to take a canoe back to their starting point. They are momentarily reunited with Tetlichi but cannot spend too much time recounting their journey. They must make the case for the caribou in Washington. They gain an audience with senators’ aides but their pleas to prevent oil drilling in the region are unsuccessful. Despite this failure, Heuer and Allison have been granted something more important and I believe this is the real theme of the film. They come to realize through their journey their place both as humans and as individuals in the world. Quite simply, Allison and Heuer have revealed to us the enormity and grandeur of life.
As Heuer says, “Even though ours is a story with a beginning an end it really is a little sample of a bigger circle. We leave you with a segment of a journey that’s continuing. For the caribou this story is to be continued. It’s always to be continued.“