Tourists, livestreamers, and small-business hopefuls are crowding a remote wolf habitat in western China after a decade-old documentary about an artist raising and releasing an orphaned wolf went viral, prompting the film’s producer to urge the public to stay away. 

The 2017 film began trending earlier this month as commentary videos about it circulated widely. Among the most prominent was a review by film commentator Bizhan Fenghua, whose video on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, attracted millions of views and helped keep the documentary in the public eye.

Li Weiyi, who produced and starred in the documentary, responded to the surge in attention and subsequent increase in tourism in a handwritten statement posted on her Douyin account. The post has received hundreds of thousands of likes. 

“Return to the Wolves” chronicles Li’s efforts to return an orphaned wolf she named Green to the wild on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau after raising him in her city apartment. The story inspired the establishment of the Zoige Wolf Ecological Protection and Monitoring Station in 2020.

In her statement, Li asked tourists and livestreamers to avoid the remote reserve where the wolves live, describing it as a fragile ecosystem. While thanking viewers for their affection for Green, she warned that the attention was placing strain on conservation efforts.

“The influx has placed mounting pressure on reserve authorities,” Li said. “Staff who should be focused on field patrols, scientific monitoring, and emergency response are instead overwhelmed by a flood of phone calls, messages, and petitions, stretching already limited resources thin.”

Li said the documentary’s message was about respect and distance, not ownership. In the film, she ultimately accepts that Green belongs in the wild, not with her, she said, adding that crowds seeking close encounters with wolves risk undermining that goal. 

The tourist surge is also affecting other wildlife, as the reserve is a critical habitat for black-necked cranes and other endangered species. Kong Lingxi, an advising director with the expert advisory committee of the Ecological and Environmental Protection Association in northwestern Gansu province, told Sixth Tone that the plateau ecosystem is exceptionally fragile.

“Even small changes in the population of a single species can cause irreversible damage,” Kong said.

Online responses to Li’s appeal were largely supportive, with many users expressing sympathy and sharing personal stories about caring for animals.

Looking forward to the upcoming Spring Festival, Li urged viewers to show their support by keeping their distance. “February is the mating season of many animals,” she said, “Right now, not disturbing them is the most tender blessing we can give them.”

Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.

(Header image: A scene from the documentary “Return to the Wolves.” From Douban)