Animal welfare has been an issue since the dawn of time. Should we eat it, should we keep it, should we just kill it, or should we find some use for it are questions even now to modern civilization when we speak about animals. Moreover, to answer these questions are people who with tireless efforts dedicate their lives to strive for protection of these animals. One such person is Timothy Treadwell who died for his passion at being one with the grizzly bears.
For thirteen years, Treadwell lived along side the great Katmai bears of Alaska. Treadwell stated to the Purple Tigress that the bears saved him from a failed career in acting and a heroin addiction that controlled his life to studying bears and protecting them from poachers and sports hunters that lurk in the area. He felt that for once there was meaning in his life and spent every summer since then with the wild bears.
Treadwell, however, was known to the locals for going to extremes for pursuing his passion with the bears. He felt so comfortable and confident around the bears that he would stay alone by himself in the wilderness for much of the time. He was often seen carrying cubs and even giving some bears names. His bond with the wild bears showed such emotion that he would tell them that he loved them like they where his own.
Yet, many people believed that he was crossing over many boundaries that should never be crossed between bears and man. Associated Press Online commented that many Katmai National Park Service officials felt that Timothy was modeling unsafe behavior that puts everyone, including the bears, at risk. Humans and bears will never be accustomed to each other, and each will protect themselves if felt that they are in danger.
The USA Today pointed out that he appeared to be suffering from a mental illness because at times he was beset by self-doubt and paranoia, if not manic. Nevertheless, that year, Timothy made an appearance on “Late Show with David Letterman” explaining that the grizzly bears are mostly just “party animals. Treadwell seemed innocent, although with grandiose ideas, who believed that he could single-handedly protect the population of thirty-five thousand grizzly bears.
In October 2003, the beasts he so adored and tried to protect killed Timothy Treadwell. Discovery Channel writes that him and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, where mauled and then devoured by a grizzly bear. Treadwell and Huguenard’s remains were discovered near their campsite in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. Their attacks were the first known in the park. Sadly, park officials had shot down the bear later that day that was thought to have killed them.
During his last years in Alaska, Treadwell shot footage by himself to educate people about the nature of grizzly bears. This some odd hundred hours of footage was pieced together by director Werner Herzog for the documentary of Grizzly Man. According to the USA Today, by using Treadwell’s own words, ideas, and point of view, Herzog makes audiences feel as if they are pouring over a video journal of a tortured soul.
At the heart of Grizzly Man, Discovery Channel makes note that the footage is spectacular with pictures of enormous grizzlies hunting, playing, and fighting just feet from Treadwell and his camera. This film is said by critics to be a haunting and fascinating portrait of so much that is worth exploring the implacability of nature, the hubris of human endeavor and the line between supreme dedication and madness. Grizzly Man premiered in the first-ever International Documentary Competition in the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
To show the world his dedication and loyalty, Timothy Treadwell is the founder of the non-profit organization known as the “Grizzly People” to help protect and educate the public on bears. On their website, grizzly people.com, they explain, “their goal is to elevate the grizzly to the kindred state of the whale and dolphin through supportive education in hopes that humans will learn to live in peace with the bear, wilderness, and fellow humans.” A book written by Jewel Palovak, Among Grizzlies: Living with Wild Bears in Alaska, was co-authored by Timothy Treadwell that has educated thousands of schoolchildren about bears.
My mother always said “to each his own” and I personally commend Treadwell for turning away from drugs and giving his life new meaning. Maybe he was paranoid, but you would be to with seven hundred pound, ten foot beasts with razor sharp teeth walking around you. Treadwell left a legacy of hope and inspiration to us all who dislike the way our life is going.
