I just found this news story online at www.drudgereport.com:

quote:

---

Two Malibu residents killed in Alaska bear attack
The Associated Press
Last Updated 11:17 a.m. PDT Tuesday, October 7, 2003
KING SALMON, Alaska -- Two Californians were killed in an apparent bear attack near Kaflia Bay in Katmai National Park on the Alaska Peninsula, Alaska State Troopers said Tuesday.

The bodies were found Monday when a pilot with Andrew Airways arrived to pick up the man and woman and take them to Kodiak, troopers said.

The pilot saw a bear, possibly on top of a body, in the camp and contacted the National Park Service in King Salmon and state troopers in Kodiak.

Park rangers encountered an aggressive bear when they arrived at the campsite and killed it. Investigators then found human remains buried by a bear near the campsite.

The victims, believed to be in their late 30s to early 40s, were from Malibu, Calif. Their identities were being withheld pending notification of relatives.

The remains and the entire campsite were packed out and transported to Kodiak on the Andrew Airways flight.

As the plane was being loaded, another aggressive bear approached and was killed by park rangers and troopers.

The bodies were flown to the state medical examiner's office for autopsy.

---

One thing to remember about Katmai, it being a National Park, is: firearms are verboten. The place is absolutely crawling with brown bears which are not in the least afraid of humans.

It'll be interesting to see what the National Park Service implements as a fix. I'm guessing it's not gonna be a sign that reads, "Firearms for protection are HIGHLY recommended here."

As long as they are from Kalifornia - keep feeding the bears.

Dear State of California
Please send more tourists.....
The last ones were delicious.
Signed
Da Bears

I recall reading an article about Katmai and a statement by someone that it would only be a matter of time before someone got it on Katmai.

Katmai has been set up as sort of a zoo w/o fences. Unfortunately this has lead to the mistaken view that because so many people view the bears each year that they are not dangerous animals.

I'm sad to hear of the lost of this couple, I'm sure they loved the bears and visiting the area.

I hunted the Katmai the first week in September. I was hunting Caribou and Wolfe. We saw 69 Brown Bears in 6 days in the field, 26 were spotted one day. My guide had me and another Caribou hunter, then followed by 4 straight Bear hunters. His hunter took a 91/2 Bear last week, according to the Outfitter, who called me to get a report on the guide. I hunted just across the mountain from the mauling, just outside the park. This news made my heart skip a beat, because we had a Bear scare during the night while hunting. I took my Bear years ago and had a close encounter at that time. Any rifle seems small when in Bear country, if you ever go Bear hunting, prepare well and shoot the biggest rifle you can handle well in any situation. My condolences go out to the relatives. Good shooting.

crowrifle & JeffP,

I really hope you two are gainfully employed because as comedians you are not cutting it. Neither of your posts were the least bit funny. Stupid and in-mature yes but funny, NO. Lawdog

Hello,
So let me get this straight. Two tourists are in some very serious bear country without any firearms. Is it illegal to have a gun on your person in the national park for you own protection? I'm not talking about hunting, just for protection. If so, it sounds like the park rangers set the tourists up. The rangers carry guns to stop the bears, why can't everyone else?
Thanks,
Larry

As far as I know, it is illegal to carry a gun in a national park for your protection. As it is a national park, I'm sure the policies are set up in Washington DC. If you think those folks have any clue about what it is like in AK, you probably believe all those nice stories the politiceans tell you Of course government employees know more then you, so they can be armed. In reality, I don't believe the no firearms policy is strictly enforced.

All seriousness asside, bear attacks are extremely rare. I'd say off hand that a typical year has 2-3 mallings. One will be a hunter that suprises a bear, and the other's will be a mix of hikers, fisherman, etc. More tourists are killed in auto wrecks each summer than by bears.

Certain past times have risks associated with them. Visiting a bear reserve is certainly one of those activities.

I thought JeffP's post was hilarious! Insensitive, but hilarious! Kinda reminds me of the Gary Larsen (Far Side) cartoon of the Bears going around and ringing folks door-bells for quick, easy, and delicious meals.

I'll double check later, but I think it is illegal to "discharge" a firearm in a national park, unless used for protection. I'm almost sure of this...will follow up tonight.

Has this been a lean year for the bears making them hungrier?

Good riddins! Treadwell was an arrogant horses ass who considered all hunters vermin. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. No comment on his female partner except that she was apparently takin in by this dipshit. Just like the tiger man, Roy Horn, it isn't wise to hang out with animals that can eat you. They may be warm and fuzzy, but they are for the most part at the top of the food chain. Man is simply food waiting to be eaten. Treadwell's videos promoted 'playing' with the warm and fuzzy bears. Sheesh! Rant off

I'm sorry to hear about this. One of these days maybe they'll let you carry legally in the parks. I'm never far from a firearm, parks or not, but God help you if you discharge one without very good reason. I'll take the mountains of red tape anyday over a funeral.

Good riddens to a wako for years he has been trying to convice people that bears well not hurt you if you are nice to them. I said long ago when I heard of this jerk that one day one of his bears was going to put the bite on him.

Lawdog_Gary, sorry you failed to see the humor in my post. The guy that joined the Alaskan food chain was a whacked out tree hugger that never escaped the '60s. He proclaimed the bears harmless as long as people were nice to the bears. Kind of like the guy from California that visited Alaska last year. Warned that there were bears in the area where he was headed, he replied that he had good Karma with the bears and all would be well. Rangers later found his boots with his feet still in them. Guess the bears never learned to unlace a shoe.
End result of this fiasco is that because of this twisted fuck's arrogance and stupidity, he and his partner are dead and so is the bear.

Don't blame the bear. Blame the idiots.

Can anybody post some back ground to this guy? Seems to be fairly well know to some here.

On a different, perhaps more "delicate" note, I wonder if the woman concerned was on her period?
I have read that a combination of the smell of blood plus possibly the hormones released can attract bears...If so, it is certainly something for the ladies to think about before venturing into bear country...

Regards

Pete

Here is a more accurate version of the story. This guy was a kook. It was just a matter of time. I saw the Discovery channel program on him.....knew he would be bear buffet some day.

Bear Attack Leaves Two Dead in Alaska
By RACHEL D'ORO
Associated Press Writer
10-7-03

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)--A self-taught bear expert who once
called Alaska's brown bears harmless was one of two people
fatally mauled in a bear attack in the Katmai National Park
and Preserve.

The bodies of Timothy Treadwell, 46, and Amie Huguenard, 37,
both of Malibu, Calif., were found Monday when a pilot
arrived who was supposed to pick them up and take them to
Kodiak, state troopers said Tuesday.

Treadwell, co-author of ``Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild
Bears in Alaska,'' spent more than a dozen summers living
alone with and videotaping Katmai bears. Information on
Huguenard was not immediately available.

The Andrew Airways pilot contacted troopers in Kodiak and
the National Park Service after he saw a brown bear,
possibly on top of a body, in the camp near Kaflia Bay.

Park rangers encountered a large, aggressive male brown bear
when they arrived at the campsite and killed it.
Investigators then found human remains buried by a bear in a
nearby brushy area.

The remains and camping equipment were flown Monday to
Kodiak.

As the plane was being loaded, another aggressive bear
approached and was killed by park rangers and troopers. The
bear was younger, possibly a 3-year-old, according to Bruce
Bartley of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The victims' bodies were flown to the state medical
examiner's office for autopsy.

Dean Andrew, owner of Andrew Airways, said the pilot was too
upset to comment. The company had been flying Treadwell to
Katmai for 13 years and Huguenard for the last couple of
years. Andrew said Treadwell was an experienced outdoorsman.

Treadwell was known for his confidence around bears. He
often touched them, and gave them names. Once he was filmed
crawling along the ground singing as he approached a sow and
two cubs.

Over the years, Park Service officials, biologists and
others expressed concern about his safety and the message he
was sending.

``At best he's misguided,'' Deb Liggett, superintendent at
Katmai, told the Anchorage Daily News in 2001. ``At worst
he's dangerous. If Timothy models unsafe behavior, that
ultimately puts bears and other visitors at risk.''

That same year Treadwell was a guest on the ``Late Show with
David Letterman,'' describing Alaska brown bears as mostly
harmless ``party animals.''

In his book, Treadwell said he decided to devote himself to
saving grizzlies after a drug overdose, followed by several
close calls with brown bears in early trips to Alaska. He
said those experiences inspired him to give up drugs, study
bears and establish a nonprofit bear-appreciation group,
called Grizzly People.

Grizzly and brown bears are the same species, but ``brown''
is used to describe bears in coastal areas and ``grizzly''
for bears in the interior.

The deaths were the first known bear killings in the
4.7-million-acre park on the Alaska Peninsula.

[ 10-08-2003, 17:13: Message edited by: Bob in TX ]

lawdog-gary
Thank you for bringing to my attention,the callousness of my post.My making light of humans as hors d'oeuvres' is unconscionable.

I deeply regret offending your sensitivities.

In the future I will strive to post in a sensitive and intellectually minded manner, to
not offend you and those like you.

In the spirit of my new enlightenment,I offer an
olive branch.

Perhaps you can spearhead a campaign,to have your
newly elected gov. enact a new law.I suggest "Bear Karma Day".A day set aside for ALL
Californians to get thier karma "right" before
venturing into wilderness areas.This as we know
would eliminate tragic events such as above.

Once again please accept my appologies in the
spirit in which they are offered.

Best regards
Jeff

Just to back up the above statement, I also just heard the same statement on our local radio station (KINY), that Mr. Treadwell had stated on the David Letterman Show, "that the Katmai bears are harmless party animals". Mr. Treadwell was living a lie that cost him his life.

[ 10-08-2003, 19:31: Message edited by: CK ]

And more from today's paper: http://www.adn.com/front/story/4110831p-4127072c.html

For those of you who are intersted here is one of Treadwells many web related sites:

http://www.darkroomlab.com/treadwell/archive05.html

It is unfortunate that he has mislead so many people for so many years that these animals are provoked into attacking, the sad thing two great animals where destroyed because this guy is a thrill seeker obviously making a good living from making these very large predators into cute "teddy bears".
It may sound sadistic, but I may have felt sorry if some follower of this guy was the victim, I have been in Alaska in the middle of nowhere and my biggest fear was dealing with one of these animals in the middle of a dark night, from a dead sleep in the confines of zippered sleeping bag inside a tent that I am double zippered in.

I am a believer that you are on his turf for which you are nothing other than a meal to him, respect these animals and give them the respect that they deserve or have a very large caliber weapon handy.
IMHO

As Far as JefF P, humor sometimes get the point accross, I have watched this "hors d'oeuvres'" I mean fellow when he was alive and my opinnion is he either had NO BRAINS or set of stones,
it reminds me of the joke of two hikers walking down the path and they incounter "Da Bear" one hiker immediately drops down and takes off his boots and puts on a pair of running shoes for which his partner says "you gotta Know you cannot out run a Bear" the first replies I don't have to, all I gotta do is out run you!
I all seriousness, respect all animals look what happen to Sigfried and ROY, tigers are so cute until ya push the wrong button.

[ 10-08-2003, 22:10: Message edited by: raamw ]

From what I've read I'd say he had no respect for the bears. Bear attacks are fairly rare, and asside from Polar Bears, most bears under most conditions don't look at humans as a food source. It's no suprise that all the time he spent with the bears, doing what real bear experts consider stupid things would have deluded him into believing that they are just nice big friendly furry animals. He viewed bears where they are normally well fed, so they would normally not be any bother to people.

He probably recieved the same high from being so close to the bears that he did when he was on drugs. But just like any junky, an od is only one step away.

I wonder if that was Tabatha that ate Treadwell..I was wondering how long it would take before he caught one in a bad mood.

[ 10-08-2003, 23:02: Message edited by: Hoyt ]

Yep. I saw the Discovery Channel program as well and decided right then he would be dead soon with the attitudes he holds about bears. I wonder if the Discovery Channel "hired" him to do this film. If so, they are in troubleas someone will sue.

You have to wonder about the mental state of someone who puts himself at risk like that, and then says he would be "honored" to end up in bear scat.

Guess he got what he wanted, idiot.

Ironic he ended up causing the death of two of the animals he "loved" so much. Screw him

Only in Malibu, could they drum up "support" for animals 2500 miles away that they nothing about....come out in the bush, a little dose of reality won't kill you, but a griz might.

He had no respect for these awesome critters and he got et, Bawhahahahahahaha.

JeffP,

quote:

---

Perhaps you can spearhead a campaign,to have your
newly elected gov. enact a new law.I suggest "Bear Karma Day".A day set aside for ALL
Californians to get thier karma "right" before
venturing into wilderness areas.This as we know
would eliminate tragic events such as above.

---

Our newly elected Gov. is the worst thing to happen to hunters/shooters in California. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a anti-gun, anti-hunting backer from way back. He was one of the major movie stars to try to help get the Brady Bill passed in congress. One of his major supporters is Rep. J. Perata from Oakland. He is the guy that tried to get the $.05 tax per cartridge bill passed this last year. The bill that would have raised the cost of a box of .22lr by $2.50. He has vowed to bring it back as soon as the political climate is right. Looks like the climate has changed in Sacramento. Arnold’s next stop will be the White House and you can’t argue that he has the best name recognition going for him. First came Sacramento, next will be Washington D.C.. By the way why don’t you write to the "Terminator" and ask him to enact that bill. He would go for it. Lawdog

Hey Lawdog - you (we) are in luck!!! Arnie can't become Prez of the U.S. You have to be born here to be the Prez. Thank goodness for that!!!

I used to work for ADF&G as a field technician in the western part of Katmai. The "party animals" I ran into were quite fun-loving; one tried to knock over the salmon counting tower I was occupying. Needless to say, I spent far more time worrying about the bears than I did about the fact that I was in flagrant disregard of federal firearms regulations within the park. I always carried my .44 mag and kept a 12 ga very handy.

How any sane adult could begin to think that a 1200 pound predator is anything but muscle-powered mayhem is beyond me.

Just returned from a local store, the folks behind the counter were reading the newspaper and commenting on this guys book - seems like most folks think this guy was not playing with a full deck

So, is this guy going to recieve the top Darwin this year?

I have spent some time in the company of the big coastal browns of Alaska, and had more than my share of bluff charges that came to a happy ending for all. I have a lot of respect for these awesome animals, and it saddens me that this needless hubris has caused all the deaths involved. To me it is a shocking lack of respect for these people to conduct themselves in this manner. I have no problem with shooting the animals for hide, trophy, whatever, just don't treat them as if they are your toys to be played with. They play way to hard for people to think they can be an even match, and when they do quit playing, it's time to have enough gun, not some misguided "Disnology" to shield you. Papa Bear isn't really going to shoot bananas into your mouth. I hope the State of Alaska closes the area to the granola crowd as well as hunting. The granola crowd will cost a lot in bear population if not controlled. JMHO.

So, not only was Treadwell dangerous to himself, but he put his girlfriend in harm's way. That is criminal. I can't think of a worse way to die than be ripped apart and eaten alive by a wild animal. One of them had to get it first, so the other got to watch. It's unspeakable.

On the news tonight they said that there is an audio tape of the mauling. The girlfriend did the recording as the guy was being mauled. She starts yelling for Treadwell to play dead then after a while yells for him to fight the bear. [ THREE MINUTES OF RECORDING ].

One of my wifes friend used to fly treadwell and his girlfriend out on there so-called adventures. He was saying that she had a little more common sense than mr darwin. he like to camp in alders, she refused to, I guess she has hopped back in the plane and flown back to town because of where he wanted to camp. I dont know what she was thinking this time.

My wife also asked who paid for the flight and he said national geographic signed the checks. I cant verify this, just repeating what she was told. Also one more company was helping to fund the expeditions but no names were given.

[ 10-09-2003, 08:25: Message edited by: JoelS ]