Grizzly Man is a 2005 Werner Herzog documentary about Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell was a conservationist and animal lover who lived among and was ultimately killed by grizzly bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska. The film is powerful. Watch it.
Treadwell thought he had a special relationship with these bears and that he was the only one protecting them. Everyone knew his behavior was endangering himself and the bears he so loved, but no one seemed to do much about it.
In an article in Backpacker, Emma Veidt, a backpacker too young to have seen the movie when it came out, watches it for the first time, along with bear biologist and podcaster Wesley Larson. As they watch and discuss, Larson makes many interesting observations about Treadwell and the bears, and some chilling information that was not in the film.
Why Treadwell was able to be so close to the bears in the first place:
It's because these bears are okay with people being around. There are even some anecdotal observations of female grizzlies that will leave their cubs with people observing them and go fishing. They use people almost as babysitters for their cubs, because they have become so tolerant of other bears and people. He's way too close, though. It's definitely not a situation you should ever find yourself in unless you're with a guide.
Where things started to go wrong:
If you're constantly having that kind of interaction with bears—even if it's always just the bear telling you that it's upset and never initiates a mauling or anything like that— it's the bears telling you something, and you're not listening.
On Treadwell's final moments:
There's audio recording of him dying. My advisor listened to it. I've never listened to it, but it's 15 minutes of him being dismantled by a bear. You can hear his arm being separated from his body in it. It's the worst possible way to go.
This audio is mentioned in the film, but thankfully, no portion of it is played. I have often joked that I will die petting something I shouldn't and I am truly sympathetic to Timothy Treadwell's desire to be friends with these bears. The story is tragic on multiple levels because not only were Treadwell and his girlfriend killed, but two of his beloved bears were killed for feeding on a human, even though it was not clear which one had attacked.
The latest episode of Larson's podcast, Tooth and Claw, is about another fatal grizzly attack, this time in Yellowstone National Park.
Previously:
• Two bears join group of nervous hikers for 20 whole minutes on a trail (video)
• The Yogi Bear Graveyard
• CA tourists warned not to take selfies with bears
