ForTimothy Treadwell , respect and protecting grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos horribilis ) was a way of life . Until one solar day Treadwell and his partner , Amie Huguenard , were eaten alive by the same bear they revered .
Learn more about Treadwell ’s life and death , and how to observe bear safely .
Who Was Timothy Treadwell?
Timothy Treadwell ( 1957 - 2003 ) was a bear enthusiast famous for his up - close encounters with grizzly bears in the Alaskan wild .
Early Life
Born in Long Island as Timothy Dexter , he pay heed Bradley University on a swim erudition before dropping out , move to Southern California , and de jure changing his last name to Treadwell in 1987 .
Treadwell contend with nitty-gritty use disorder before his first sojourn to Alaska in 1989 . In his 1997 memoir , " Among silvertip , " he key out his first close - up encounter with a bear as " like looking into a mirror . " The experience inspired him to get sober and trip a lifelong mania for grizzly bears .
Alaskan Expeditions and Emergence as a Public Figure
Treadwell left his home in California every year to spend the summer in the Alaskan wilderness , where he observed and recorded grizzly bears , often at close range . Treadwell ’s magnetic personality and his sexual human relationship with grizzly bears pass media attention .
In 1999 , Treadwell produced and star in " The Grizzly Diaries " for the Discovery Channel , and in 2001 , he was interviewed by David Letterman .
Timothy Treadwell’s Death
Timothy Treadwell was already fairly well - cognize when he enter on his last stumble to Alaska in 2003 , but he became noted for his sick death in Katmai National Park . Here ’s what happened .
Before the Attack
Treadwell expend the summer of 2003 in the Kaflia Bay orbit of Katmai National Park with his partner , Amie Huguenard . They had planned to leave Alaska before October , when food for thought is scarce and most bears have already begun hibernating .
Treadwell and Huguenard really left Kaflia Bay on September 26 , but adjudicate to return on September 29 for another week of bear - observation . Rain was on the prognosis , which would flood the creeks leading to more Pisces and potentially more bear sightings .
The Attacks
Treadwell and Huguenard were kill on October 5 , 2003 , the daytime before they were schedule to depart Kaflia Bay . There were no other people in the field to witness their deaths , but Larry Van Daele , a wildlife life scientist who accompanied park Ranger and state troopers to investigate the scene of the attacks , believes the encounter occurred during dusk or early evening , in the rain .
According to the National Park Service’sofficial investigation report , Treadwell likely tread outside the collapsible shelter to look into the bearing of a bear nearby . The bear , likely startled by Treadwell ’s sudden appearance , either collide with or bit Treadwell , who called out to Huguenard for help .
Huguenard tell Treadwell to " play dead , " and the bear leave for a few hour — only to render once Treadwell started moving again . As the bear continued to round , Treadwell holler for Huguenard to remove it with something , and she told him to fight .
Van Daele believe that Huguenard ’s screaming may have sound like the battle cry of an creature , which may be why the bear returned to kill her after Treadwell ’s end .
Aftermath
Huguenard and Treadwell ’s remains were discover on October 6 , when bush pilot Willy Fulton returned to the couple ’s campsite to beak them up . Fulton found the tent flatten and a bear protecting a cache of human stay near the camping ground .
Fulton unsuccessfully tried to drive the bear aside from the camping site before calling the National Park Service in nearby King Salmon and State Troopers in Kodiak . Within an hour , Alaska State Troopers and National Park Service personnel arrived at the scenery .
They encounter two bear at close range ( an old , bombastic male and a smaller subadult ) and shot them due to perceived aggression . The larger bear was later constitute to have human remains in its gastrointestinal tract ; the little bear was eaten by other bears before it could be necropsied .
4 Conditions That May Have Led to Treadwell’s Death
bear rarely pour down people . Even though Katmai National Park has the gamey density of brown bears in the world , Treadwell and Huguenard ’s dying were the first document human fatalities due to bear attacks in the area .
grant to the Park Service ’s official report , " Treadwell and Huguenard died from a bear attack that might have been avoided by stick to basic principles of tenting in bear land . " Here are some of the experimental condition that may have contributed to their unusual deaths :
1. Low Visibility
The Park Service report mention that " the campsite and general area had poor visibility due to improbable grass and operose bush concealment . " Low profile means bears are more probable to be get hold of by surprise and behave defensively . ( It also create it harder for humans to wield a safe distance from bears . )
2. Getting Too Close
Treadwell and Huguenard set up their campsite to maximize their chance of bear encounters .
" The coterie was set up in such a way that bears wishing to traverse the sphere would have had to either wade in the lake or walk right next to the tent , " Van Daele explained in the report . " A person could not have project a more dangerous location to ready up a bivouac . "
3. Time of Year
According to the Park Service , Treadwell was attacked " during a time of twelvemonth when bear were ferociously contend for food for thought source . "
bear need to gain enough fat during the summertime in Holy Order to hibernate during the winter . Any bears who have n’t put on enough weighting by October are probable to be stress out and desperate for food .
4. Food in the Tent
Although Treadwell and Huguenard kept most of their solid food in bear - resistant intellectual nourishment container ( BRFCs ) , there were some easy - access snack found in the collapsible shelter . " It is possible that a bear investigated the summer camp in part due to the food found in the sleeping tent , " Van Daele reported .
Timothy Treadwell’s Legacy
In 2005 , filmmaker Werner Herzog released a documentary about Treadwell called " Grizzly Man . " The flick , which incorporated Treadwell ’s own footage , was met with critical acclaim and won numerous award .
Treadwell enamor wild bears in intimate , everyday moment that , despite his gruesome remainder , showcased the beauty of the chocolate-brown bear . " I think a large telephone number of multitude now see that grey-haired bears are n’t bloodthirsty , mindless killers , " wildlife biologist Wesley Larson , toldOutsidemagazine .
In life and dying , many pick apart Treadwell ’s risky behaviour and call into question his contributions to conservation . " His deputation was a loser in that he was essay to protect those specific bears , and he got at least two of them kill , " says Larson .
Although Treadwell ’s organization , Grizzly People , claimed to fight animal poaching , there is modified evidence that Treadwell ’s expeditions prevented any actual poaching .
3 Grizzly Bear Safety Tips
Getting too close to grizzly bear is dangerous for humans and turn out likewise . When human being come into contact with bears , they increase the chances of conflict , which puts bear at risk . Here ’s how to ride out safe .
