University of Florida biologist Kent Vliet drove to St. Augustine as well, with his needles and vials and alligator know-how.

Monique wanted to get some saliva from the two Komodo dragons at the farm as well. A Komodo dragon bite is infected with some very nasty bacteria. “The mouth of the dragon is where they have that bacteria. You would anticipate that the peptides would be highly expressed in the saliva and in the oral cavity. So we would be very excited to get Komodo dragon saliva.”

Kent said getting some saliva would be a possibility. The male might cooperate, but the female’s more difficult to handle.Saurians like alligators and crocodiles are really kinds of dinosaurs, survivors of the big dinosaur die-off 53 million years ago. They tend to live in septic, sordid swamps full of bacteria. Yet they survived where the other dinosaurs didn’t. The presumption? They’ve got very effective immune systems. And therefore effective antibiotic molecules.

After taking Monique and our camera crew on a tour of the facilities, reptile curator Kevin Torregrossa waded into the younger gators with a pole and rope (while my crew followed hesitantly). It didn’t take him long to isolate one sluggish six-foot female and drag her over to Kent, who waited with tape and needle. He sat on the animal’s back while Kevin taped up the mouth. Then he carefully inserted the needle in the back of the alligator’s head and drew three vials of blood. All in a day’s work for these guys.

The Komodo dragon was a different matter. They move more quickly than the alligators and are more aggressive. Kevin called the dragon inside for food. He dangled a delicious white mouse (deceased) just out of reach of its mouth (the dragon is inside its wire cage; the mouse outside). Kent collected the resulting saliva dripping from its lips with a Q-tip.

Monique went home to Virginia with both blood and saliva samples. And we went home with some good scenes on video.

The post Antibiotic Reptiles first appeared on Dreamfilm.

This is Amish country, one of a number of communities scattered mostly in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. We came here because the University of Chicago was running a blood clinic in the basement of Ervin and Ruby Mast’s farmhouse. The Amish would prefer not to be photographed. Being photographed suggests a lack of humility. But Ervin said he would allow us to film his family, as long as they didn’t have to look at the camera or speak to it. This was a rare opportunity for us to film an Amish family, a whole community, at work and play, and in the service of science.

The Amish dairy farmers in America live a lifestyle similar to the dairy farmers of southern Germany, a cohort studied by Munich immunologist Erika Von Mutius because they seem to be relatively free of allergies. Surprisingly, Indiana allergist Mark Holbreich found that the rate of allergies in the Indiana Amish is even lower than in the German farmers. What is it about the way they live that protects them from allergies and asthma? The blood clinic allows the scientists to look for genetic markers that would help explain the protection.

Upwards of 24 families were involved. They began arriving around 10 am in small buggies, big buggies, horseback and bicycle. The strict Amish communities have frozen their culture in roughly the year 1840. Modern inventions are shunned. They won’t use cars, airplanes, telephones, televisions, radios or, of course, computers. There are a few exceptions. They use a stainless steel vat to store their milk, otherwise they couldn’t sell it. And the Masts have a small tractor – a Bobcat – to help with work. Illumination is courtesy of propane. And the young men get jobs with the town’s Recreational Vehicle manufacturer (they’re good carpenters and specialize in cabinet-making.)

The Amish children were the subject of the blood-testing. Three nurses gently extracted about a half-pint of blood from each of them. They were from eight to sixteen years old, and not once did any of us hear a word of complaint, a cry, a whimper; they were absolutely stoic. If these were children from my local school there’d be a lot more noise.

I asked the geneticist, Carole Ober, why she thought that was. (She’d noted it too.) She said she thought maybe it was because their lives were uncluttered, and so their minds were uncluttered too. They didn’t have irrational fears; they trusted their elders. They weren’t bombarded and confused by a world of TV shows, movies, stars and starlets, websites and virtual worlds, smart phones and pop music. There was no competition because they all had the same, they all dressed the same, they all lived the same. They continued to exist in a state of calm.

After the blood clinic, we visited the barn for the afternoon milking. In walked two little angels, Maria, 4 and Amanda, 2, Erwin and Ruby’s grandchildren. They wore the traditional Amish bonnets and billowing dresses, and they had a pet kitten and dog with them. They then proceeded, unknowingly, to illustrate the hygiene hypothesis, or, more specifically, the farming effect – the possible explanation for why these farm kids don’t get allergies. They walked through fresh cow paddies, they were barely missed by streams of cow piss, they were slapped in the face with cow’s tails, and they picked up and fondled their pets, which had also been roaming free through the milking barn’s Boschian environment.

What Mark Holbreich wants to know is what exactly, in this miasma of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes that make up a dairy farm, is supplying the protection against allergies?

Or is it the unpasteurized milk they drink? The research continues.

We were all – the researchers, the camera crew, the extended Mast family – invited to dinner. We were asked by an elder to tell the gathering where we were born, where we lived and maybe a bit about our families. While we and the researchers could tell stories of world travel and a huge variety of experiences, the Amish each related more or less the same story: they were born in this very building, or nearby. They’d lived nearby all their lives. The men farmed, the women cooked and quilted. And so it will be (they hoped?) for all time. If we all took up their lifestyle, the environmentalist in me thought, we could probably save the planet.

Before we left, we visited a ploughing demonstration, as two of Erwin’s grown-up children considered the latest ploughing rigs. Pulled by work horses, the ploughs dug deep and even. The work was almost noiseless. The men would stop the drivers sometimes and talk about this or that in Dutch-German. And then the ploughing would continue, with potential buyers in straw hats, suspenders, white shirts and beards without moustaches, following behind, talking and laughing.

Back in South Bend the next day, my cameraman shopped for a Notre Dame hat and we learned the famous college team was having a winning season, something the nearby Amish didn’t know about or care about.       – Bruce Mohun, director, THE ALLERGY FIX

The post Allergy Answers in Amish Country first appeared on Dreamfilm.

Photo by Ian Kerr/Dreamfilm

We extend our sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Tim Jones, the team leader of Vancouver’s North Shore Rescue.

Tim’s dedication to bringing people home safely – the searchers and the sought – was legendary. He made no apologies for high standards and expectations. Our crew witnessed this first-hand when we filmed with North Shore Rescue for our recent documentary To The Rescue.

As someone who volunteered thousands of hours to North Shore Rescue, Tim was unwavering in his belief that search and rescue was a fundamental service that should never incur charges. Instead, he has spent much time lately advocating for ongoing stable funding for his team and all other search and rescue operations in Canada.

Tim’s family has lost a husband and father, the BC Ambulance Service and North Shore Rescue have lost a passionate colleague, leader and friend, and Vancouver’s Lower Mainland has lost a guardian.

The post Tim Jones first appeared on Dreamfilm.

There are about 250 members responding to between 350 and 450 calls a year across the province.

And these calls have changed dramatically over the years. Ten or twenty years ago they would get phone calls from families who hadn’t heard from a loved one and were worried for their safety. These days they are getting phone calls from the lost person themselves giving their coordinates and telling them to come and get them. But even here, in heavily populated Ontario, cell phones are not a sure way out of the woods. I spoke with Sergeant Jamie Stirling – Provincial SAR coordinator, Emergency Response Team, Ontario Provincial Police.

Here are some intriguing numbers from Sgt Jamie Stirling

• cell phones, even in highly covered Ontario, are only accurate to an 8 km radius … that leaves a LOT of room for not getting found.
• about 50% of their missing persons searches are for recreational enthusiasts. They are mostly hunters, hikers and berry pickers.
• on average it takes seven hours to find their missing subject. That is fast in a province the size of Ontario. They rely on a network of their own team and local agencies to ensure the fastest possible response.

– Melanie Wood, director, To The Rescue.

 TO THE RESCUE airs Thursday, Jan 16 at 9pm/9:30 NT on CBC TV’s Doc Zone

Watch the Trailer:

The post Cops “To The Rescue” first appeared on Dreamfilm.

I was excited, and a little worried about how I’d fare squeezed into a tiny tent, in the cold on one of the world’s highest peaks. Granted, we weren’t heading for the summit as dozens around us were, but there were definitely challenges ahead. First of all, there was the sheer effort in getting there. We flew into base camp, which sits at an elevation of 7000 feet. We squeezed into a small 5-seater plane. With all our gear we couldn’t have fit any more than our 3-person film crew in!

When you finally arrive at base camp you know you’re a long way from anywhere. Denali is far more than just a mountain, it’s 6 million acres of wild land that has the distinction of being the world’s first national park. And – no surprise – it’s COLD! What was a surprise is that it doesn’t stay cold enough, for long enough anymore, if you’re a wannabe climber. We caught Ranger Rodger Robinson setting up his camp for his 34th season up here as mountaineering ranger. He has seen the changes in climate first-hand.

  Filming up here was a challenge. Cameraman, Ian Kerr would stay bundled up, then take his fingers out and adjust camera settings and lenses as quickly as possible. Our gear is finicky and doesn’t much like cold temperatures. Everything is complicated to do here – everything from using the toilet to making dinner. When it’s really cold, and the oxygen in the air is lower, fuel for cooking doesn’t burn the same. The hot food froze on our plate if we didn’t chow down right away. Soundman, Simon Doucet won my gold star for getting hot tea ready for us while Ian filmed some of the amazing mountain scenery.   It was perfect weather while we were here – sunny in the day, and not too windy.

It actually made me think I’d come back to enjoy base camp… until I found out the week before, a storm had come in and no one could leave their tents for a week.  Maybe not my idea of a relaxing holiday after all.

– Melanie Wood, director, To The Rescue

TO THE RESCUE airs Thursday, Jan 16 at 9pm/9:30 NT on CBC TV’s Doc Zone. Watch the Trailer:

The post How to Shoot a Documentary on North America’s Highest Peak first appeared on Dreamfilm.

As I travelled and talked to people across the country about search and rescue, what came up most often were stories of thrill-seeking outdoor enthusiasts who go out and do things in the wilderness most of us would never dream of doing.

There are hair-raising stories of climbing perilous cliff edges with little or no climbing gear, racing down raging rapids having kayaked only once before, skiing out of bounds, and more.  Not surprisingly, these adventures sometimes lead to equally daring rescues, more often than not performed by volunteers.

I was prepared for stories like these, but what surprised me was how many rescue calls are actually made by people just like me. They are day hikers, couples out for some fresh air, families out for an afternoon. Someone turns an ankle, or gets disoriented. A whopping  95% of all recreational rescue calls are for this type of help. They are you and me, out for a trail jog on a Saturday afternoon.

It was the folks at OVERT (Ontario Volunteer Emergency Response Team) in Oshawa, Ontario who really made me understand the real truth of who is most likely to get rescued in Canada.

The river search turned up nothing, and luckily the two day hikers were found safe. This large team is very well-trained, self-funded, and they work tirelessly to keep team members razor-sharp when it comes to a variety of skills.  I was inspired by their great team spirit and impressed by the fact that among the teams we visited on our travels, they had the highest ratio of women on the team, and in key roles. So know that, if you ever need help anywhere near Oshawa, you will be in extremely capable hands.

 – Melanie Wood, director, To the Rescue 

TO THE RESCUE airs Thursday Jan 16 at 9pm/9:30NT on CBC TV’s Doc Zone – Watch the Trailer:

The post Think You Might Never Need to be Rescued? – Think Again first appeared on Dreamfilm.

Cathedral Mountain (1737 m) is among the tallest and most prominent of the North Shore Mountains. The peak is visible from downtown Vancouver, but on a decent summer day, with no snow, it takes a good 11 hours to reach the top from Lynn Valley on Vancouver’s North Shore.

North Shore Search and Rescue deals with very mountainous territory, so good radio signals are extremely important – both for a successful search and rescue, and for the safety of the rescue team as they try to do their job.

I went there with Tim in the dead of winter to check on some of their equipment. The weather systems up there can be so unpredictable that Tim triple-checked my clothing and our emergency food and supplies in case we got caught overnight. The helicopter had a small good weather window to drop us off, but that can change in a moment. There was no guarantee that they’d be able to come back to get us.

View of Vancouver, under clouds, from Cathedral Mountain.

As the helicopter approached the peak, my anxiety quickly shot up as I looked down at the small helicopter platform perched on the mountain side. There is barely room for the helicopter itself, let alone any passengers.

“Okay, out you go,” I heard a voice say. I looked around and thought, “go where?” I could see nowhere to get out to! There was just snow and ice and dramatic drop-offs. But I swallowed my fear, got out, and waved goodbye to the helicopter. There we were, feeling on top of the world with mountains all around. Wow! That’s one experience I won’t ever forget.

– Melanie Wood, director, To the Rescue   

The post A Leap of Faith first appeared on Dreamfilm.

In it an experienced 27-year-old climber is moaning in agony, hanging from a rope on a minute ledge on Gooseberry, a cliff in Banff National Park. The ground is a vertical drop 80 metres below. He doesn’t know it yet, but he has broken his back in two places. His friends are holding his weight on the ropes, and keeping themselves on the rock. They have called for help and thankfully they can see the helicopter.

The rescue team that approaches is part of Canada’s National Park’s Visitor Safety Specialist team. You just have to watch this rescue unfold to see why they have earned the reputation of being some of the best mountain rescue specialists in the world.

The ability to mountaineer, ski, predict avalanches and apply advanced life-saving skills in some of the most treacherous conditions anywhere on the planet is all in a day’s work. They never want to see again anything like the two accidents in the mid-1950s that spurred Parks Canada to develop its own mountain rescue capabilities. An all female team from Mexico and a group of American boy scouts were killed in Banff National Park resulting in 11 deaths. “That just wouldn’t happen now, “ says Marc Ledwidge, a veteran Visitor Safety Specialist. “We know every inch of our parks and pride ourselves on knowing exactly how to get to people who need us.”

We learned that the helicopter maneuvering in a rescue like this is so demanding, there are only ten qualified helicopter pilots in the country licensed to attempt it. With their rotors sometimes only four feet from the edge of the cliff and often heavy, gusting winds, the job of the mountain rescue pilot is not one that appeals to just anybody.

Watch TO THE RESCUE January 16, 2014 on CBC’s Doc Zone to see this and other amazing rescues.

The post Hair-Raising Rescue first appeared on Dreamfilm.

In today’s post: Seville, Spain – a walker’s labyrinth.

Seville offered delightfully different dilemmas from London.

First, there was no question of driving the rental van; the rearview mirrors would scrape all the Moorish tiles off the walls. I tried mounting a camera on a scooter, but the cobblestones rendered the footage debilitating for any viewer.

So we walked. And as you walk, you note that streets are at oblique angles to each other. There are no right angles. If your cognitive map isn’t bolted into your brain like an I-beam you’ll soon be pointing ‘up’ for north.

Our Scottish roboticist proudly led us to a part of Seville where the streets are so narrow the sun never finds its way down.

When it was time to head back to the hotel, we would all point in the direction we thought it was (making use of our cognitive maps). We would take the average of all opinions and head home. We would then search for anything familiar (let’s call these things ‘landmarks’), ‘recalculate’ our cognitive maps, and take the average again. Until finally, well, we might not be back at the hotel, but we would have found a convivial tapas bar and left the hotel challenge till later.

-Bruce Mohun, director

WHERE AM I? airs Thursday December 5, 2013 on CBC’s The Nature of Things.

The post Where Am I? Finds Its Way in Seville, Spain first appeared on Dreamfilm.