♪♪ NARRATOR: On a winter's night
in 2011, three hunters were heading out to their favorite
overnight hunting spot along the northern edge
of Denali Park in Alaska. They never imagined something
might be hunting them. [ Growling ] They stop to relax for a bit and indulge in a quick smoke
and a drink. As they talked, Ben Jones
decided he needed a pit stop. He trudged off among the trees,
looking for a little privacy. But as he walked, he continued farther into
the woods than his friends, Mark and Tom, expected. Something apparently
drew his attention. [ Growling ] Moments later,
they heard the sound. [ Howling ] They hurried to respond, but they couldn't find Ben
anywhere. Instead, they saw
a monstrous beast among the trees
that sent them running. Local legends of a bear-wolf
hybrid called the amarok or demon wolf pervade the area. Could this creature have
targeted this hunting party for its own vicious harvest? The only thing known for sure, Ben Jones
hasn't been seen since. Inside the vast frontier
of Alaska is a mysterious triangle where, each year, 5 out of
every 1,000 people go missing. [ Animal growls ] [ Animal roars ] Three investigators look
for answers -- Jax, a former police officer... Ken, a specialist
in strange phenomena... and Tommy,
an expert on Alaskan legends. Together, they uncover
mysterious sightings and ancient legends, exploring the possibilities
of those who go... --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> Captioning provided by
A+E Networks Pretty rugged
environment out here. Yeah, it is. NARRATOR: Ken and Jax arrive
at the area of Denali Park where Ben Jones went missing. They're meeting with
Ben's friend, Mark, who was with him that night. -Hey, I'm Ken.
-Hey, Ken. Mark. -Nice to meet you.
-How you doing? I'm Jax.
-Jax, good to meet you. Mark is gonna take us
to the exact spot where his buddy, Ben,
disappeared, and tell us what he thinks
he saw that night. Right here. This is where you'd be
on your hunt that day? This is where
we started, yeah. The caribou here are pretty
plentiful and active. We started with, you know,
a couple beers, try to warm up. It was getting
kind of cold. You guys had the beers
before you got out here,
or when you're out here? No, we always bring 'em
with us, you know. As an investigator,
I'm always trying to evaluate the validity of an eyewitness. When I hear that alcohol
was involved, I know that it might have
altered Mark's perceptions. We'd like to map it out
where you last saw Ben and retrace your steps,
step by step, the best as you can recollect. Yeah, that sounds great.
I'm happy to help. This is a spot we like to kind
of survey the area from. Call it the "V." It's perfect.
We can get a nice vantage point by climbing up here
and staking out the area. The thing I noticed about
this location is, beyond the vantage point,
the terrain is pretty flat. I had wondered if Ben had
slipped down a hillside or fallen into a ravine, but that doesn't seem
to be a possibility here. We sat here, took a break,
polished off our flasks, and then Ben took off. We started getting worried
about him, right, because we didn't hear from him
or see him for a while. This is when we heard
the noise, the howl. [ Howling ] Narrator:
Howling is unique to wolves. Bears and other large predators
don't exhibit this behavior, but wolf howls tend to be
a rallying of the pack. For a lone animal
to make this sound, it's most likely a warning
to an intruder. You remember what direction you
heard that vocalization from? Yeah. Well, it sounded like
it came from over there. So, we started trying
to find Ben, and as we were looking around,
I saw something. It was like a bear
but different. Can you take us to the area
where you saw this creature? We're getting close,
just up this way. Okay, you were
standing here? -I was standing right here.
-And the animal was? -Right there.
-Okay. Yeah, that's about 100 yards. It was like the biggest bear
I'd ever seen. It looked like
a brown bear, but it had some weird
differences to it. This, like, gray kind of
nasty, natted fur. Mark definitely
feels like he saw some sort of strange creature
out here. But as far away as he was,
and as dark as it was, and the fact that
he'd been drinking, I'm thinking this could have
been a normal animal attack. You've seen bears
out here. How much do you think
this weighed? Easily 900 pounds. I mean,
this thing was huge. It was almost like
if you took a bear and added a wolf nose
or snout to it. That's what it was. Interesting. Mark describes this creature
as sort of a wolf/bear hybrid, which fits a known legend
from this area, the amarok. Narrator: The amarok,
AKA, the demon wolf, has been a fixture of Inuit
mythology for hundreds of years. Sporting the face of a wolf and the body of a bear and standing up to 9 feet tall. The amarok is reported to target
lone hunters at night. But Ben was not fully alone. Could the demon wolf be
the animal that got him, and could it be
far more aggressive than previously thought? Even though I'm skeptical,
there is a mystery here. Where did Ben go? If this was just a wolf or bear, how did he disappear so quickly,
and why wasn't anything found? This case definitely requires
more research and investigation. -You ready to head back?
-Yeah, let's go. Can you take us
out of here, Mark? Yeah, sure. NARRATOR: Images of massive,
wolf-like predators are not limited to Alaskan lore. In Norse mythology,
wolves represent the force that will bring down the cosmos, including the devouring
of our sun and moon. Even in modern
children's stories, the big, bad wolf has come
to represent evil incarnate. This evil became all too real
in France in the 1760s when an oversized wolf
known as the Beast of Gévaudan killed and ate dozens of people. But the Alaskan legend
suggests a beast that's even more terrifying -- a wolf with the size
and aggressiveness of a bear. Jax and Tommy visit
a local expert named Ozzie to learn more about
the demon wolf legend. TOMMY: Good seeing you,
my friend, Ozzie. Hey. Thank you.
You, too, man. This is Jax. How you doing?
Very nice to meet you. Hey, Jax.
Nice to meet you. What brings you
to this part of this world? We understand that you can maybe tell us a little bit more
about this amarok. Amarok. -Yes.
-Okay. I've heard a couple stories
here and there. For people from up north
known as the Iñupiat people, this one story's about
this father who was mourning the death
of one of his children. Apparently,
they suspect that this child was eaten
by the wolf or the amarok. That mourner went out there
searching for answers, and amarok just killed him, you
know, right there on the spot. This amarok is mean. It can come out of nowhere
without you knowing it. They usually
follow their prey, which is the caribou
or the moose. If they're aggressive,
they'll follow you. They'll hunt you down.
You have to stay on top of them and show him
that you're the master, you're not afraid. If we come across one, is there
a way to defend ourselves? Good luck. [ Laughs ] Thank you very much
for your time. -Thank you.
-Yeah, you're very welcome. -Awesome.
-Come again. -Absolutely.
-Yeah. NARRATOR: According
to Brittany Walters, "good luck" is the only reason she wasn't a victim of the demon
wolf herself. WALTERS: I was walking my dog along the edge of the woods. I looked on the ground,
and I saw animal remains. I couldn't tell what it was because whatever had gotten to
it really destroyed this animal. And in the past, I'm able
to identify the animal because the carcass
is somewhat intact. I thought this was
really strange, so I decided to head home
immediately. As I turned around,
I heard a howl... [ Howling ] and I looked back, and there was
this huge animal. I thought it was a wolf at first 'cause it had a canine face
and legs like a wolf. [ Growling ] I was so scared. And then it got back down
on its four feet and ran in the opposite
direction. I've never seen an animal run
that fast before. NARRATOR: Based on
Mark's testimony that Ben was attacked at night, the team heads back to the area
where Ben went missing for an overnight stakeout. They hope to see what is
stirring here, and whether any animal they find might tie into Ozzie's depiction
of the amarok. We don't know if the amarok is
real or just a scary story, but legends of
wolf-like monsters are known throughout
North America. NARRATOR: In Canadian lore, an animal similar to the demon
wolf is called the waheela. In Michigan, in the late 1800s, a similar creature was dubbed
the Michigan Dogman. The team has to wonder
if there could be any truth behind all these
different sightings. TOMMY: Seeing other tracks. KEN: Well, this is a good sign.
We got something living up here. Hey, you guys, these tracks
come back over this way. They may have found
a food source. Yeah, these are definitely
moose tracks. Food source for the wolves
out here. The fact that we found
these moose tracks indicates that
there's a viable food source moving through the area, so it's reasonable to assume
that there's gonna be predators in this area, as well. And it would be great
to capture their movement on the cameras
that we brought with us. What do you think
about here? This feels like kind of
a good, natural cut for a predator to kind of
slink along low. Definitely.
He would have cover. Needs to conceal himself. Yeah, we should put the equipment up before it gets
too much darker. Yeah, I think so, too. Let me see if I can find a spot down here
maybe a little lower. This little oak hut.
This is perfect. NARRATOR: The team has
infrared trail cameras that can record
up to six hours of HD video. They'll aim them
toward what they think is the most heavily trafficked
path through this area. Good location here, yeah. I think we have
a good angle. Yeah. Anything that's alive
that moves through here, we'll get it on film. NARRATOR:
The team finds a good spot
to settle in for the night -- far enough from the cameras
to not spook any wildlife, but close enough to hear
anything that passes through. Back in prehistoric times, there were actually animals
that would match the description of
the amarok quite well. One, of course,
being the dire wolf. They were about 25% larger
than modern wolves, and they were kind of built
differently, too. They had bigger, sturdier
bodies, shorter legs, but they had these massive,
bone-crushing teeth. NARRATOR: The dire wolf was
the largest canine of all time, tipping the scales at 200 pounds and stretching more than
5 feet in length. It roamed North America
until 10,000 years ago. [ Growls ] This vicious predator
was a fearsome hunter, competing toe-to-toe
with the saber-toothed tiger for territory. Some believe these creatures
might not have died out, and given enough space, they could have evolved
into something even bigger. [ Rustling, branch snaps ] I'm not even kidding.
Did you hear that? Out to the left. NARRATOR:
In the Alaska Triangle, a hunter has gone missing. Witnesses report seeing a
massive beast -- part wolf and part bear --
that may be to blame. But is this animal
simply a myth? Hybrid beings are a staple
of ancient lore. Centaurs depict a cross
between man and horse. Griffins are a blend
of lion and eagle. But a pattern of recent
modern sightings suggest the demon wolf
could be real, and the team's overnight
stakeout might provide proof. [ Rustling, branch snaps ] Out to the left. KEN: That came from down
by the trail cams. Let's go check this out. Shine your light straight ahead.
Over there? Just turn it off
and listen for a second. KEN: I don't hear
anything now. TOMMY: Well,
we should finish out the night and see if we hear
anything else. I agree.
Let's go. NARRATOR: The team returns
to their stakeout, hoping for another chance
at a sighting, but the rest of the night
remains quiet. JAX: Here we are, gentlemen. NARRATOR: The next morning,
they arrive back at their cabin, anxious to see what
their cameras recorded. It doesn't take long
to find an answer. JAX: Hey, guys, come over
and check this out. We got a little movement
on the second camera. See that?
It's very quick. Watch it on the right side
of the corner. It comes in at
the last two seconds. Very fast and very low
to the ground. It looks canine-like,
a little bit. It's obviously way too small
to enter into our amarok. NARRATOR: The figure
in the footage indicates the presence of real,
normal-sized predators, not an enormous monster. The team has to consider
if recent sightings were of an ordinary wolf that became exaggerated
in the minds of frightened witnesses. I think definitely we should
take to some experts. You have some contact with
the zoo, right, Ken? Yeah, I've been talking to some
people over at the zoo. They're wolf experts which,
you know, to me is an obvious launch point for this investigation. If there's a chance that it's
just a normal wolf out there, then our best approach is gonna
be to study wolf behavior to see if it fits
the evidence in a way that would explain
the eyewitness reports. NARRATOR: As Jax puts his
investigative skills to use, finding and researching
additional eyewitness accounts, Ken pursues the theory that
the animal they're after might be an ordinary wolf. He meets with Stephanie
and Shannon, two experts on wolf behavior
at the local zoo. Hello, ladies. Hi. Hi. Hi. KEN: Whether we're dealing
with an amarok, a dire wolf, or just
an ordinary gray wolf, we need to know more
about Alaskan wolves and their behavior patterns in order to draw any conclusions
about what's out there. I'm investigating,
believe it or not, accounts of this
monstrous demon wolf known as the amarok,
and I thought it might be helpful to come out
and talk to you and perhaps get some knowledge and look
at these fabulous animals, since this may be our culprit,
we don't know. Sounds good. What about their, you know,
predation pattern? What do they eat,
how do they hunt? Well, they eat moose
and caribou, and some of them choose rabbits, whatever else they can
get a hold of. What don't they eat? If they're working as a pack
taking down large prey, or working individually for a little snack
in between the big meals. I understand
they're very social animals. How unusual is it for, you know,
a so-called lone wolf, an individual to kind of
strike off on its own? Obviously, all the males can't
live in the group forever, and they have to distribute. But they like
to be together, so even if there was
a lone wolf, I think it would be
looking for a group. Yeah. I don't think they really
thrive on being alone. Right. We just put some enrichment
out for the wolves, so you can see their
predatory behavior. Here they come. Oh, it's so exciting.
I love it. Wow. That's Dean.
We let 'em out in order of dominance, so since
Dean's the alpha male, he's -- -He gets the first shot.
-He's the first one out, yeah. This is one of their
very favorite things. It is interesting, though. You can see a lot of good
pack behavior. Obviously, the two alphas
are on the beaver right now. Yeah, see that. And no one else is really coming
around, they're observing. -They're waiting their turn.
-Yeah. KEN: Everything about
wolf behavior appears tied to this
pack mentality they possess. They crave social interaction and rely on a social hierarchy
in order to survive. So, if this creature
is acting alone, maybe it's not a typical wolf,
after all. Wolf attacks on humans -- is that something
that's common? Is it very exceptional
and unexpected? It's not very common. Wolves are really naturally
shy and timid animals. Even the ones here that have
been habituated to people and sounds and movements, they're still really
cautious about things that they're not sure of. The more I learn here, the more I think that
this is not an ordinary wolf, but there is another
possibility. This could be
an extraordinary wolf. Based on its reported size, perhaps this is a wolf
displaying gigantism. NARRATOR: Gigantism
is a condition that affects creatures
throughout the animal kingdom. In humans, it's caused
by an overproduction of growth hormone through
a compromised pituitary gland or a mutated gene. Genetics are also behind
the huge size of the liger, the offspring of a male lion
and female tiger, which can top 1,000 pounds. But the right environment
can also spawn huge creatures, like the goliath frog, which benefits from relative
isolation and limited predators. And the existence
of deep sea gigantism suggests the cold temperatures
at the bottom of the ocean can spawn oversized animals like
the Japanese spider crab. Alaska features both isolation
and cold temperatures. Could these conditions
have created a gigantic wolf? And if so, might it be
an outcast from its pack and have to adapt
with increased aggression? Well, ladies,
this information has been incredibly helpful. I can't thank you enough
for meeting me out here, introducing me to
your beautiful wolves. This has been really
an amazing experience for me. NARRATOR: Wanting to see
if the gigantism theory matches current sightings, Ken joins Jax to interview
a witness named Nick who claims to have had
a demon wolf encounter just a couple of weeks ago. Nick agrees to meet
with the team at the roadside location where this possible
giant wolf appeared. -How you doing?
-Good. -Nick, right?
-Yes, sir. I'm Jax. KEN: Jax tells me that you saw
something remarkable out here. Where it happened was
about 30 yards up that way
past the junction there. It was about 2:00 a.m.,
pretty dark. I was just leaving
a friend's house, and I about
struck a carcass. Carcass strikes are
pretty common here, so what we do
is call the troopers. Troopers come out,
and they'll remove the carcass. I was dialing up
the troopers, and I saw a shadow
come out of the woods. [ Growling ] It was big. Big for a bear, but it didn't
match the shape of a bear. The snout
was wolfish in shape. That's when it dropped down
and disemboweled it. It grabbed the caribou
and took off. It went for the woods, and it
went for the woods quick. JAX: After it left,
what did you do? You know, I looked
at what it'd left behind, and it left behind
the entrails. Usually when you see wolves
and bears feed, as soon as they have it open,
they go for organs. They go for
the soft tissues first. -Yeah.
-Yeah. Coming into this interview, my top theory was,
this is just a bear. I was even willing
to consider Ken's idea of a genetically mutated wolf, but this feeding behavior
that Nick describes doesn't fit a bear or a wolf. NARRATOR: The team
is starting to feel like the natural explanations
are becoming less likely, and the supernatural ones are
getting harder to rule out. NARRATOR: Alaska -- a land of amazing scenery
and a sinister secret. What happens
to the thousands of people who go missing in
the Alaska Triangle every year? Two hunters caught a glimpse of an enormous, wolf-like beast just after
their partner disappeared. Could native tales
of the amarok, or demon wolf, be true? Based on its reported size
and isolationist nature, it seems unlikely
to be an ordinary wolf. And its eating habits cast doubt
on it being a mutated, oversized wolf, either. But is it still possible
it could be a bear? The team sets up a meeting with
a big game hunter named Mike to cross-reference
their evidence with
his bear expertise. -Hey, guys, how's it going?
-Hey, how are you? -I'm Mike.
-Jax. -Yeah, nice to meet you guys.
-Hi, Mike. -Mike.
-So, what can I do for you? It's a pleasure.
We're here investigating accounts of
a mysterious animal. It's kind of a wolf,
kind of a bear. Behavior-wise, they claim
that this animal is a -- you know, it's a lone hunter,
a solitary hunter. It's nocturnal, and it,
according to legend, preys on human hunters
that are foolish enough to wander out
into the woods at night. -Oh, okay.
-That's the legend. So, it's a hybrid between
bear and wolf? That's what they say. JAX: We've got features both
wolf-like and bear-like. NARRATOR: The possibility
of a wolf-bear hybrid has already come true,
according to the fossil record. For more than 44 million years,
the amphicyonidae, also known as bear dogs, roamed North America,
Eurasia, and Africa. They were some of the largest
carnivores of their time with certain varieties
topping 1,300 pounds. But these monstrous predators
went extinct 2 million years ago --
or did they? Bear dogs belonged to a suborder
called caniformia. The caniformia animals branched
into a variety of species including bears, all canines, seals, walruses, raccoons,
and badgers, to name a few. Could there be a hidden strain
among these offspring? An ongoing crossbreed
of wolf and bear that has remained undetected
in modern biology? And could
the open wilds of Alaska be the place it calls home? Well, I can tell you
a little bit about bears. -Yeah.
-Let's start there. Pretty much brown bears
and black bears are solitary animals,
for the most part. They prefer to hunt alone
and to travel alone for most of the time. They don't just prey
on the sick and wounded. That's kind of
a common myth about bears. They just get whatever
they can get. If it's in front of them,
and they can catch it, they'll go for it --
they're a predator. If he comes out,
and you take off running, he's gonna chase you. It's just in his nature
to do it. Mike describes the aggressive behavior of
bears, explaining that they will give chase just
because they're wired that way. But so far, with the demon wolf, the accounts suggest
a more cautious approach. Waiting until the prey is alone or attacking when there's
sufficient cover. If this is just a bear, it's one with a high degree of
cunning and intelligence. So, we're planning to go out
and look for this animal. I was wondering if you
could give us any tips when we go back out there. If it's bear-like, should it even be active
this time of year? Bears do occasionally come out
of their dens during the winter. One thing that you can look
for, a lot of times, bears will get up
against a tree, and they'll bite that tree
as high as they can reach, or they'll claw it
with their claws. And it's kind of
a territorial thing. Down in southeast Alaska, we see a lot of that sign there
on the alder trees. -Yeah.
-The real soft bark, and they'll get in there
and chew and claw that up. Another thing that
you can look for, bears are fairly well-known
for burying their kills. It's sort of a way of saying,
"That's mine." Almost every time,
they'll relocate that kill. They'll grab it,
and they'll drag it off about 40 or 50 yards out
in the brush somewhere, and they'll bury it. So you got to be
really cautious when you go into these kill sites
and make sure you're not running
into a situation. And this could also be
an explanation, possibly, for some reason, why the people
aren't discovered. Mm-hmm. When I think about how
Ben Jones disappeared, maybe whatever got him
picked him up whole and buried him somewhere. No drag marks,
no pieces left behind. That would explain a lot. These are all
helpful hints for us to maybe see if we can find what
we're looking for out there. Mm-hmm. And sign of bear or animals
maybe the amarok is related to. Excellent. Really appreciate
getting to meet you guys. Oh, thank you for
all your expertise. Good luck on
your expedition. NARRATOR: Mike's insights have
given the team a plan. They'll revisit the location
of Nick's roadside sighting and look for scratches on trees or patches of dug-up earth to see if they can track
this creature down, be it a bear, a prehistoric
canid, or something else. The team arrives at the site
where the beast was seen snatching carrion
from the roadside. This time, they brought some
carrion of their own. Tommy, I appreciate you carrying
that beaver out here, brother. Wolves are actually
very fond of dead beavers, so I think that could be
a key piece of bait. We still don't know if we're
dealing with a wolf or a bear or something that displays
the characteristics of both, so we're keeping both in mind
using the beaver as bait. We know the wolves eat them,
and bears are opportunistic. They'll eat anything, so this should draw the creature
out, whatever it is. JAX:
Damn, this is thick. Has anybody seen any tracks
or anything yet? Not yet. Hey, guys,
check this out over here. Oh. Well, that's something. Some serious
claw marks there. JAX: But look how widespread
they are. What's really
jumping out at me is just the freshness
of the cuts. Right? I mean,
this isn't something that's been sitting around
a while, so... TOMMY: This is a pretty big bear
that would have done this. Usually they're in this range,
so this is pretty high. Definitely need
to stay alert tonight. I've seen bear scratch marks
on trees my whole life, and even the biggest bear leave
a fairly tight scratch pattern on the bark just
a few inches wide. These marks are spread out
over more than a foot. So, it's either making these
scratches one a time, which I've never seen before,
or this is one massive animal. NARRATOR: The open wilds
of Alaska are a paradise for predators. Bears, wolves thrive in this
land of abundant prey. But could these rich
feeding grounds have given rise
to a new type of predator, described by witnesses as
a cross between bear and wolf, that is making meals out of man? Among the recent epidemic
of sightings, Healy resident Shawn Decker
had a frightening experience on a winter's night in 2008. DECKER: Me and my girlfriend,
we were spending the weekend over at my parents'
vacation home over near the foothills. And before I went to bed,
I decided to take out the trash. So, I went out back, and then I had this
mysterious feeling like something was watching me. [ Wind chime tinkling ] And then I heard a noise
over by the trash cans, and I saw what looked
like a bear. [ Growling ] But it had limbs
like a dog or a wolf. Then when, it looked up at me, I ran back inside. I'll never forget
the look of its eyes when it stared back at me. NARRATOR:
As they explore the spot of a reported amarok sighting, the team discovers some unusual
scratch marks on a tree. TOMMY: This is a pretty big bear
that would have done this. Usually they're in this range,
so this is pretty high. Definitely need
to stay alert tonight with some of the noises
we're hearing. Let's see if we can find
any more signs nearby. KEN: Hey, guys! We got some bones here. Not far from where we find
the scratch marks, we spot a pile of animal bones. There's half a pelvis. Big animal. They're all separated
and picked clean with almost surgical precision. Got a full leg here
and joint. NARRATOR: It's not unexpected to
find bones where predators roam, but the state of the remains
may provide a clue. KEN: Looks like there's more
than four legs. Am I wrong about that? JAX: Ken, We got a whole
other leg over here. Yeah, there's more
than four legs. This has got to be
more than one animal. I mean, we're looking at
at least six legs here. NARRATOR: This is not
a normal kill sight. Bears are known to stash food, but not usually
in the same place. It appears something is treating
this spot like a home base. Something other
than a typical bear. JAX: We're right in the middle
of where someone brings in and hides their food. We need to definitely be alert. You can almost imagine a
predator bringing his prey here, lying right here while
he's gnawing on his prey. What's missing? Skulls. Exactly,
there's no skulls. Typically, you'd find
a ton of vertebrae, and that's one of the most
common things you find because mammals have
so many vertebrae. -There's no rib cage here.
-There's no rib cage. There's no vertebrae which would
indicate the meaty parts. -Right.
-You know what this kind of reminds me of
is Nick's story about what he saw,
grabbing meat off the road and diving off
into the forest. Leaving pieces behind. Leaving pieces behind. JAX: I was still hanging
onto the bear theory, thinking one strange incident
on the roadside wasn't enough to rule it out. But now we've seen this second
bizarre feeding ground. It doesn't fit bear behavior. What kind of animal
is strong enough to carry 200, 300, possibly 400 pounds
of bone and muscle and flesh to a spot like this without
dragging it in the forest? I know
a grizzly bear can. They can pick up and carry
a whole hindquarter away. But grizzlies are not hunting
big game right now. They're hibernating. I'm wondering if this might be a
good place to leave the beaver. What do you think, Jax? Yeah, I'm looking
for a good spot. A nice,
lean tree, possibly. How about over here? Oh, for the snare? Yeah, overhanging tree
is great. It appears the team
is in the territory of whatever this creature is. They decide to set up
a big game snare. If we can catch this thing or even slow it down
for a moment, then maybe we can photograph it
and verify it. A good, solid tree here. We should be able to hang
the snare from here and tie off to
the tree over here. So, here's the snare. Yeah, it should be plenty of
height to hang it here. All right, perfect. I have some hemlock moss
over here. We're gonna camouflage it
a little bit. KEN: Setting up this trap
is a bit unnerving. We could be at the epicenter
of this animal's territory, and we're out here
dangling food for it. We need to set this trap
correctly, but then we need to get
away from here. So, we have our beaver
enrichments. Got some wolf urine. This is like
an amarok buffet now. [ Branch snaps ] Do you hear that? NARRATOR: Deep in the Alaskan
interior, a scourge is raging. People are going missing
by the thousands. What makes this area
so dangerous? Natives have long believed that an enormous demon wolf
roams this wilderness. It is said to appear without
warning and kill without mercy. Giant wolves
and wolf-bear hybrids are known to have existed
through the fossil record. Could a surviving stray be
haunting the Alaska Triangle? [ Growling ] KEN: So we have our beaver
enrichments. Got some wolf urine. This is like an amarok
buffet now. [ Branch snaps ] JAX: Do you hear that? -It's out there.
-Yeah. Ooh! Let's go check it out. JAX: As we go check out this
sound, I'm reminding myself that we're tracking a top
predator out here. Maybe it's an amarok,
maybe it's not, but whatever it is, we need
to remain hyper vigilant as to what's going on around us. -Hey, hold up, Tommy.
-Yeah. I think since we definitely
think something's in the area, we should get out
the thermal imager and see what we got
ahead of us. NARRATOR: Jax uses a
heat-seeking scanner to see if any warm spots
indicate the recent presence of a life form. This path in front of us
looks pretty fresh. If you notice
on the imager, see the light purple
going straight ahead? Some heat source
has gone through here. I think I see something
up here, guys. Let's take a look at this, guys. We got an open hole right here.
We have a den. KEN: It's not really a den,
I don't think. TOMMY: Not really, it doesn't
go in there but a foot. NARRATOR: If this is a den,
it belongs to a small animal, but it could be a hole that
a larger animal started digging to bury some food. Hey, guys, we got the beginning
of a blood trail here. That is a trail,
no doubt about it. You think we interrupted
something here? It's possible. Right through there. Hey, guys, look at this. -Whoa.
-Oh, check this out. JAX: Stay alert, stay alert,
this is fresh. This is very fresh, guys.
We just walked up on something. You guys take a look.
I'm gonna keep watch. We come across
this moose carcass that looks like
it's just been killed. There's fresh blood on it,
and we noticed a hole nearby that something might
have started digging to stash this prey. So, whatever got this moose
can't be far. This is definitely the time
to have my firearm at the ready. This thing's been
tore apart. There's pieces
everywhere. That's his rib cage
over here. KEN: Hey, Jax, do you see
or hear anything? Wait, quiet. No, I'm not hearing anything. Something got to this. So, what do you think here?
Bear, wolf? Personally, I think -- I think
wolves have been all over this. Bear would have just carried
the whole thing off and kind of buried it somewhere. I'm not really seeing
any evidence of, uh,
canines around, though. We really don't have very many
tracks at all around here. KEN: I don't see any
moose tracks, even. NARRATOR: A kill this fresh
should have prints in the surrounding snow --
wolf, bear, or otherwise. Instead, there's not
a clue to be found. JAX:
This is pretty trippy, Tommy. TOMMY: Yeah. KEN: Very unnatural. This moose kill, I don't know
what to make of it. It's like it was magically
dropped here by some mystical culprit. NARRATOR: The quest to find out
why so many people go missing in
the Alaska Triangle has brought the team to an area of numerous
demon wolf sightings. Could this massive wolf-bear
creature be attacking humans and making them disappear
without a trace? The team has found a moose
carcass with no tracks nearby and no discernible marks on
the carcass from any predator. It just doesn't look
like any animal kill, fresh or otherwise,
that I've ever seen. JAX: This is pretty trippy,
Tommy. TOMMY: Yeah. KEN: Very unnatural. [ Rustling ] You guys hear that? Yeah, it sounded
like it came from where we were
setting up our trap. -Holy cow.
-Hey, hey, what's going on here? -Where's the beaver?
-Where's the beaver? Trap looks undisturbed. Whew. What do you think? No idea. Over here, Ken.
You're not gonna believe this. Our beaver's gone. The beaver's gone? No trace. I'm definitely not
seeing any -- any animal tracks,
but, truth be told, we walked through here
a couple of times... Honestly, guys, I'm not
surprised the beaver's gone. I mean, come on. We're out here in the middle
of Alaska in the winter, so it's a pretty prized
food source. Well, let's look at what
we think is in the area. There's no sign of a bear paw
here, for sure. No sign of a wolf pack. Huh. Could be
a smaller animal that might have
taken off with it. Trap is untouched. The snare is untainted. TOMMY: Legends of the amarok
talk about how it can appear
or disappear instantly. Based on what we're
finding at the snare, I can see how
the stories came about. Something's obviously
in the area. We got bones in an area. Obviously
something's feeding. We got a moose
that we just saw, and now our bait is gone. Doesn't leave us a lot
of options here. Yeah, without more bait,
we can't set another trap. We didn't have
the cameras up yet, either, so we missed our chance
to film this thing. This creature is either very
lucky or highly intelligent. Did it actually distract us
away from our trap in order to steal our bait,
or is that just a coincidence? Either way,
with no more bait to use, and clearly a dangerous
predator out there, we shouldn't stay here
any longer. Let's head in. Whew. So, we made it back
to the truck, huh? Yeah, we did. Gentlemen, thoughts? I think we did
what we could. We've explored a number
of possibilities during this investigation, trying to figure out
what this creature is. It seems safe to rule out
a normal wolf, just based on the reports
of its size alone. And a normal bear doesn't
seem likely, either, because its feeding habits
don't line up. You know, if this creature,
the amarok, is really out there, it's lived a long time
without being discovered. I think if you put it
all together, then there's definitely
something to digest here. For a while,
I favored the theory that this could be a mutated
or perhaps exceptional animal, like a wolf displaying
gigantism or something. But even if that explains its
exceptional size and behavior, there's another problem. Animals with genetic
mutations like this often suffer from
health problems. They don't live as long,
and many are sterile. They're incapable
of reproducing. So, how do you explain all these
different sightings that have been going on
for such a long time? At this point, I'm thinking
it's either a surviving strain of some prehistoric species,
which is a long shot, or else we're firmly in
the realm of the supernatural. I've dedicated my life to
investigating the unexplained. And in a place like this,
who knows? NARRATOR: For now, the legend of the demon wolf
remains just out of reach. But is that because
this giant beast is a mere figment
of frightened imaginations? Or could it be the kind
of predator that only reveals itself fully
to those it destroys? Modern canids rule
the Alaskan frontier as proven, efficient hunters. But the fossil record suggests
there could be something more. And in this vast expanse, there's room for
a lone beast to hide and to thrive by making
any who cross its path go Missing in Alaska. [ Howling ]
