In one of the most unexpected intersections of Hollywood and agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is using audio from Marriage Story—specifically, the heated fight between Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver—to scare off wolves from livestock.
According to a new Wall Street Journal report, the USDA has deployed drones in Oregon’s Klamath Basin to monitor and deter gray wolves, a species once protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The drones come equipped with thermal cameras, spotlights, and loudspeakers that broadcast a jarring array of sounds—ranging from fireworks and gunshots to the emotional crescendo of Baumbach’s acclaimed 2019 film.
The idea is simple: make wolves associate human presence with chaos and danger. “I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad,” one USDA district supervisor told the Journal.
The technique, known as “wolf hazing,” has proven effective. Following a 20-day period in which 11 cows were killed by wolves, drone patrols reduced losses to just two over the next 85 days.
Ironically, the film’s gut-wrenching portrayal of divorce is now helping preserve rural livelihoods—turning art into an unlikely tool of conservation and conflict prevention.
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