Transcript

Extraordinary Dog, Extraordinary Job - Transcript

(Jill, a border collie, is running down a road in the community of Waterton.)

In Waterton Lakes National Park, an extraordinary dog has an extraordinary job.

(Dog owner Chris Jobe whistles and makes signals to Jill as they walk through the community.)

Jill is a border collie tasked with adapting her sheep herding skills to a far more athletic animal.

(Several mule deer appear in the town.)

Mule deer; and during this year’s fawning season her job is to move the adults out of town so no fawns are born in within its limits.

(The deer see the dog and start running away.)

(A picture is shown of a deer hazard warning sign in Waterton. Back to a shot of the community where there are lots of deer feeding.)

Over the last few years Parks Canada staff in Waterton have noticed an increase in the number of deer in town as well as their aggressive behaviour.

The deer come to the town because it’s a safe-haven from predators; and the hope is that by chasing them out, less people will get hurt, (A deer move towards a person in an aggressive manner.) the deer will fawn in a more natural environment, and the number of large predators coming into the community to hunt will be reduced.

(Bears feeding in the community run away when a Parks Canada vehicle arrives honking its horn.)

With as many as 100 deer in Waterton at any given time, Jill has a formidable challenge.

Even modest herding can cause the deer to scatter making a bad situation worse.
(Jill creeps up on the deer. The deer jump up and run away.)
So easy does it, from east to west, Jill puts slow pressure on the deer to keep them in control.

This group goes easily, but another group is proving more difficult. They have turned back and she must cut them off before being set back to square one.

(Jill races to cut them off.)

It’s over the bridge in the right direction and now the challenge is to keep them together as they move through yards and around buildings.

Her persistence pays off and the deer are moved up the hill out of town.

(Once the deer have run out of town and up the hill, Jill and Chris turn back.)

Mission accomplished.

(Closing credits includes pictures taken from a GoPro camera mounted on Jill's head).