Wild Wolves of Yellowstone with Doug Smith: National Geographic Live

Few conservation stories are as closely watched, or as deeply felt, as the return of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park. In Wild Wolves of Yellowstone, wildlife biologist and National Geographic Explorer Doug Smith takes audiences inside the decades-long effort to restore this iconic apex predator to one of America’s most legendary landscapes.

Smith led the Yellowstone Wolf Project, which reintroduced gray wolves to the park in the 1990s after they had been absent from the ecosystem for generations. Through never-before-seen photos, video, and firsthand stories from the field, he traces how the wolves’ return changed not only the park’s wildlife populations, but the way scientists and visitors understand Yellowstone itself.

A longtime Yellowstone biologist, Smith spent nearly three decades studying the park’s animals — from wolves and elk to birds and beavers — and retired in 2022 after 28 years of service. His work with wolves spans more than 40 years across North America and Europe, and he has produced more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, several books, and thousands of interviews on wildlife conservation.

His research and leadership have also reached audiences far beyond the park. Smith has been featured in National Geographic television specials, BBC programs, 60 Minutes, and numerous live national broadcasts, helping bring the science, controversy, and wonder of wolf restoration into public view.

Wild Wolves of Yellowstone is a rare chance to hear directly from the scientist who helped shape one of the most important wildlife restoration projects in modern history. It’s a story of survival, ecological change, and the powerful ripple effect that one species can have across an entire landscape.

Click here to learn more. National Geographic Live Speaker Series season tickets are available now. Step into Yellowstone with Doug Smith and discover how the return of wolves reshaped the wild heart of America’s first national park.