Grizzly makes grisly

By Debra J. Saunders

The goal of Grizzly People, its website explains, is "to elevate the grizzly to the kindred state of the whale and dolphin through supportive education in the hopes that humans will learn to live in peace with the bear, wilderness and fellow humans."

But, as Werner Herzog's latest documentary, "Grizzly Man," demonstrates, the best way for man to live at peace with the bear is to not romanticize grizzlies and to give them a wide berth.

Alas, Grizzly People founder Timothy Treadwell had Disney-fied the object of his affection. So, as Herzog chronicles, the 46-year-old bear activist and his 37-year-old girlfriend were mauled and eaten by an Alaskan grizzly in October 2003.

But first, Treadwell produced some 100 hours of tape starring — ta da — him, talking about bears, or talking to bears, or talking about how much he loved bears and how he knew to be dominant around bears. He gave them names like Tabitha, Melissa and Mickey, and he frequently told them, "I love you." He recorded countless close-ups of himself discussing the dangers of living among the grizzlies.

While some think Treadwell had a death wish, he claimed that he would not be hurt, because he had a special understanding of grizzlies and he respected them. His fate illustrates the dark side of the modern romanticization of the wild.

Fact is, Treadwell didn't understand grizzlies and he didn't respect them. As an Alaskan pilot told Herzog, Treadwell seemed to view grizzlies as if they were "people wearing bear costumes."

If Treadwell had respected bears, he would have kept a safe distance — try 100 yards — from them. He also would have treated them like predators, not buddies. Instead, he recorded himself patting bears, wading into water with a fishing grizzly and talking to the bears. "Go back," he commanded, as if they understood him.

Treadwell liked to style himself as an animal lover, but I think he was more smitten with himself than with the bears. Treadwell also exhibited some of the misanthropy endemic among the more radical animal-rights activists and eco-activists. Just as a prominent PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) leader announced it was inevitable that an activist would blow up research laboratories and fast-food outlets, Treadwell ranted against the "losers" who work for the National Park Service. Why? Because they had rules designed to protect wildlife and people.

Herzog reveals that Treadwell only taped his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, on camera three times, and her face is clearly visible in only one shot. In part, she was invisible because Treadwell wanted to promote a fiction — that he lived alone in communion with the grizzlies. But it also seems that Treadwell didn't want any other voices competing with his narcissistic monologue.

Her lack of voice haunts "Grizzly Man." Treadwell talks endlessly about how sensitive he is, yet she remains voiceless, faceless — and her lack of presence makes you wonder if this self-styled animal lover had an ounce of humanity in him.

Then there is Treadwell's wrongheaded conceit that he was there to "protect" the grizzlies. They didn't need his protection. It was this delusion that brought death upon the grizzlies. Rangers shot the bear that ate the couple in the first known bear killings of humans at Alaska's Katmai National Park, as well as another bear that seemed to be stalking them.

How different those real bears were from the Disney version in Treadwell's mind. It's odd. Treadwell did have a visible bond with many of the park's foxes. But the bears he videotaped seemed particularly uninterested in bonding with a blonde. They were interested, however, in meals to fatten up for hibernation.



I have seen grizzlies from a safe distance. They are beautiful because they are powerful predators. They are only hurt by visitors who do not respect them and keep their distance.

As Chuck Bartlebaugh, executive director of the Center for Wildlife Information, told National Geographic News, "Two years ago, we counted 200 people standing within five feet of grizzly bears in Yellowstone. Those bears are now dead."

Stupidity kills. Treadwell was so filled with his own conceit he didn't care who got hurt. He told friends that if he died with the bears, he would have died as he wanted to.

He'd probably shrug about the two dead bears and say he would not have wanted them to die. To him, only one thing mattered — the words that belong on the tombstone of every dangerous zealot: He meant well.

Good article.

I'm leaving for a mountain grizzly hunt in British Columbia tomorrow. Hope I don't do a Treadwell. Of course I will be armed and I have no illusions as to how cute and cuddly Grizzlies are.

Maybe being stupid is painful? (only for a short time) i wonder what that idiot thought when the griz grabbed him and started shaking the the life out of him? i'll bet he wasn't shouting "this is awesome, just the way i want to die, this is great!" i hate to sound calous but he deserved exactly what he got.

The death of any human is not to be cheered.....even if we're not in tune with his behavior or attitude.

While I think this man was seriously misguided (or self guided) I also believe he be allowed to finally die. I'm speaking of more than a physical death here.....let's just let it go ok?

Vapodog

Here here!

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
The death of any human is not to be cheered.....even if we're not in tune with his behavior or attitude.

While I think this man was seriously misguided (or self guided) I also believe he be allowed to finally die. I'm speaking of more than a physical death here.....let's just let it go ok?

I somewhat disagree with you.

Yes, a loss of life is not to be cheered...

But this fellow brought it upon himself. He is no conservastionist, ike most hunters are. He was a fucking idiot.

Just today, I was "chased" by a grizzly bear. I was spotting for goats and a grizz wandered up, and I retreated. He followed me back to the truck..

I wasn't too concerned about my safety, but I wasn't about to sit down and sing tot he fucking bear, either!!

Treadwell was an idiot, and he does a disservice to all that hold the wild places dear.

I remember reading an article, I believe it was by Phil Shoemaker, where when one does something extraordinarily stupid Alaskans refer to said goof as "pulling a Treadwell".

As we put it here in the deep south... "He paid the idiot tax."

I don't celebrate his death but that guy was a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic basket and it's amazing that he survived as long as he did.

I certainly don't mourn his death.

I guess he deserves the Darwin Award anyway...

$bob$

I cheer the death of these humans. It was a happy moment when I heard the idiots had been eaten alive by the grizzly. I celebrated. Good riddance!

I agree with Vapodog. There was a TV special on Treadwell last month that included some interviews with him. He was obviously very disturbed, in a sad way I thought. Yes, he brought more harm than good to the bears he loved, but it was obvious that he badly needed professional help he never got. This wasn't just a case of an someone being naive and arrogant at the same time, there was something else going on.

mothernature weeds out another idiot

So was the bear put down because it killed a human, or the Forest Service was worrying about it dying a slow death from "Stupid Liberal Constipation Syndrome"?

The sad thing about something like this.. is we loose one HOMER .. there are another dozen to take his place immediately... they never ever seem to learn a darn thing....

Anyone tried to explain common sense to a liberal lately?

Sad but, no shoved him out there to do that... I do feel sorry for his girlfriend.. poor gal needed to pick a better class of fool...

the way I see it...
seafire

Gidday Guys,

I'm with Vapodog on this one. We may not agree with all his way of seeing things but the man lived and died with the animals he loved doing what he thought was right.

What better way to go (other than being shagged to death by 50 nymphomaniacs) than doing you what you believe in no matter whether we agree or not. At least he believed in something other than himself which not a lot of townies do these days.

I may not agree with him but I do tip my hat to him.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

Hamish;

We may not see eye to eye on this one Mate...

However, great rebound with the concept of 'Shagged' to death by 50 nymphos....YOU downunder gentlemen just have style!

cheers


seafire

Seeing brown bears as intelligent, bright, near human type intelligence is NOT unrealistic. If raised properly, bears such as Tank, Bart, etc.
can be part of the family, but, they take a fully commited effort to integrate them into the family.

Sig and Roy did the same with their tigers. The problem becomes that when a full grown tiger, or bear, decides to protect you from someone, or, feels you are threatend, their actions to protect you, can be fatal. IE Sigfried being dragged off the stage, in the throws of a stroke, or heartattack, by a tiger trying to protect him.

Elephants are famous for having a bad day, and,
'leaning' on their trainers, and killing them.

Read the Elephant Man, on this subject.

They are wild animals, and they have wills, and intelligence. Surviving those, is a major accomplishment...

GS

...bit late but nice reading from "post mortem" on site report:

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=273092

quote:

Originally posted by Hamish:
Gidday Guys,
I'm with Vapodog on this one. We may not agree with all his way of seeing things but the man lived and died with the animals he loved doing what he thought was right.
What better way to go (other than being shagged to death by 50 nymphomaniacs) than doing you what you believe in no matter whether we agree or not. At least he believed in something other than himself which not a lot of townies do these days.
I may not agree with him but I do tip my hat to him.
Happy Hunting
Hamish

Respectfully I have to disagree. We have liberal idiots here who's only goal in life is to ban all guns and tell everyone else how they should live. If they die doing what they believe in and love all I celebrate is that they are dead.

Remember, there are some people still alive in this world only because it it against the law to kill them.

For anyone intrested, there is a good book writen by Mike Lapinski called "Death In Grizzly Maze, The Timothy Treadwell Story." For those of you who haven't heard of Mike, he is an occasional outdoor writer for Bugle and Outdoor Life. There are some pretty good insights from both sides of the issue. I'm not quite finished reading it yet, but I would recommend it.

In his book, Mike touches on another "researcher" who met the same fate as Treadwell not long after the Treadwell incident. This guy, an American if I remember correctly, was killed studying the brown bears of siberia. He was as/more wreckless that Treadwell.

I belive that people involved with groups like "Grizzly People" do have good intentions, but only see the issues with their emotions and not with the established SCIENCE and FACTS. As long as there are people like this out there, we will continue to hear storys like this.

I wonder if humans taste like chicken to a grizzly?

quote:

Originally posted by Pegleg:
I wonder if humans taste like chicken to a grizzly?

...dont know about that but there were reports from WWII in Europe (Balkan) that brown bears were feeding on dead soldiers...so did wild boars...

I think you have it all wrong.... Maybe we should encourage libs to go play with the bears. They are cute and cuddly, oh, and don't worry about guns, they are against your beliefs... Make sure to pick up the little ones, and get lots of pictures. Share some fresh caught salmon with a grizzly, thats how you know you're bonded. I see a potential good from this, no matter how macabre it may be...

Treadwell and his girlfriend got Dwarwinized - that's life on the planet Earth. Neither will be contributing to the gene pool.

quote:

Alas, Grizzly People founder Timothy Treadwell had Disney-fied the object of his affection. So, as Herzog chronicles, the 46-year-old bear activist and his 37-year-old girlfriend were mauled and eaten by an Alaskan grizzly in October 2003.

The best reason I ever heard to "save" a grizzly. It may be the solution to the "liberal problem".

quote:

CS - "Sig and Roy did the same with their tigers. The problem becomes that when a full grown tiger, or bear, decides to protect you from someone, or, feels you are threatend, their actions to protect you, can be fatal. IE Sigfried being dragged off the stage, in the throws of a stroke, or heart attack, by a tiger trying to protect him."

You're kidding, aren't you, CS??

L.W.

Leanwolf,
That is the extent they will go; fabricate a story to back a rediculous thought. ALL eye witness acounts reported him being ATTACKED not protected, as they want the world to believe. I'm sure there are lots of folks spinning Treadwell's death the same way. In agreement' let them play with the bears.

Perry