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How are Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver’s fight and AC/DC’s Thunderstruck being used to scare wolves in the US?
USDA has turned to drones blasting loud, chaotic sounds—including film arguments and hard rock music—to deter predators from attacking livestock across the US
Hollywood actors Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver’s intense shouting match from Marriage Story is now being used as a tool to deter wolves from attacking livestock in the United States. According to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has turned to unconventional methods—including blasting emotionally charged audio from films and loud rock music—to keep wolves away from cattle herds.
According to the report, the USDA has been using drones equipped with thermal cameras and loudspeakers to patrol farmlands across the American West. These drones play a variety of alarming sounds such as fireworks, gunshots, and arguments to scare off predators.
Among the audio used is the fight scene between Scarlett and Adam in Noah Baumbach’s 2019 film, in which the two actors portray a couple in the middle of a bitter divorce. The emotionally raw argument between the characters has become one of the film’s most recognizable moments and has now found an unlikely application in predator control.
“I need the wolves to respond and know that, hey, humans are bad,” a USDA district supervisor based in Oregon told the publication. The same drones also broadcast high-energy songs like Australian rock band AC/DC’s hit song Thunderstruck as part of the hazing effort.
This method comes in response to an uptick in wolf attacks, particularly in Oregon, where 11 cows were killed over a 20-day period, as per the report. Following the deployment of drones using these audio deterrents, only two cows were reportedly lost in the next 85 days, suggesting the strategy may be effective.
The USDA’s use of these recordings is part of a broader effort to protect livestock while minimizing direct human-wolf conflict, especially given that gray wolves were previously listed as endangered and remain a protected species in many areas. The tactic is one of several modern deterrents being employed to manage growing wolf populations since their reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park in 1995.
