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Summary: Timothy Treadwell: Eaten by a bear
Review: On March 2, 2000 reviewer Stephen Stringham from Alaska wrote this about Tim and his book;
"Wandering among a herd of black angus cattle is riskier." Well, poor old Tim Treadwell would have to diagree with that now, he was killed and partially eaten by bears in Alaska last week. This is from the Anchorage Daily News: "Katmai park rangers who went Monday to retrieve the remains of Treadwell and Huguenard (his girlfriend) -- both of whom were largely eaten -- ended up killing two bears near the couple's campsite. Katmai superintendent Deb Liggett said she was deeply troubled by the whole episode. "The last time I saw Timothy, I told him to be safe out there and that none of my staff would ever forgive him if they had to kill a bear because of him,'' she said. "I kind of had a heart-to-heart with him. I told him he was teaching the wrong message. "This is unfortunate, (but) I'm not surprised. It really wasn't a matter of if; it was just a matter of when.'' Shame, the guy meant well, but pushed the envelope a little too far. Better buy the book, I don't think anyone else will be filming bears so close up for some time.
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Summary: Well....
Review: This guy just got eaten by a Bear in Alaska... So morbid humor must buy, and instant bestseller. If you don't beleive me check the news...
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Summary: well, so much for that.
Review: while his purpose may have been true let his demise be a lesson to all. wild animals are wild and should be treated with the respect they demand. man's hubris knows no ends.
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Summary: Darwin Award Champion!
Review: It looks like the Darwin Award was created specifically for this idiot. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
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Summary: Hungry Bear
Review: Notwithstanding all of the late Mr. Treadwell's "scientific" research, he failed to recognize one important principle, "Survival of the Fittest." A hungry bear needs to eat. These bears spend this time of year where there are lots of fish and thus are generally happy, well fed, satisfied bears. But, if the Alaska State Troopers are correct, and he was killed by a old bear with bad teeth, then that bear was likely no longer sucessfully "fishing." Younger bears were competing more effectively and this old fellow was not able to get his fill of fish. Mr. Treadwell, and unfortunately, Ms. Huguenard were easy pickings. These two souls were an easy meal for a hungry old bear.
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Summary: This kind of logic is proven to kill humans and bears
Review: First, I want to declare to all that I have not read this book, so my review is not about what you may read inside. I came to this man's story through his obituary on the news. I had no idea of this man and his lifestyle before the tale of his death, but I file this man with all the people who make a nuisance of themselves to wildlife in the name of "education" and some sort of fancy that they're doing something to improve the image of these creatures. Like those people that swim with the Great Whites and pal around with salt water crocs, I think the real story is less about "public service" and more about their own personal mania. The thing that really galled me was when, in the NBC profile reporting on his death, Mr. Treadwell said he never carried a gun and would never defend himself in such a way against an attacking bear. Well, congrats Mr. Treadwell. You not only got yourself and a friend killed, but you also doomed those two bears who's only crime was simply being a bear. They were shot and killed by park rangers. You should have done yourself and the world a favor: taken a gun with you, successfully defended your life with it against these two bears, and then come back to civilization- spreading the message that you were foolish to have rubbed the noses of these bears in your all-too-human neediness. And then never returned, thereby leaving the bears in peace.
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Summary: Brief note: author mauled to death by brown bear
Review: The author of this book was mauled to death on 8 Oct 2003 by a brown bear in Katmai National Park.
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Summary: Attack Caught on Audio Tape
Review: For those who questioned what REALLY happened to Treadwell and his girlfriend, the 6 minute audio tape revealed the truth. Treadwell finally caught a glimpse of reality from his koochy-coo cute little bear syndrome when he had to ask his girlfriend to defend him from a grizzly attack. The audio revealed he was panicked and asked her to hit the bear with a pan as it mauled him. This author was out of touch with reality with how he dealt with these wild animals. His ultimate fate, in which he also endangered his scientist girlfriend whose studies in molecular biology were sorely needed, should be enough to convince anyone this book's advice is misguided. On the Letterman show he called bears "party animals". I guess they really had a party feasting on him and his girlfriend that night! The guy was a little bonkers. Reminds me a little of how the Bush Administration plays with the North Koreans.
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Summary: A Fitting Tribute
Review: The book's flaws don't detract from Tim's extraordinary experiences. I admire him for overcoming his personal demons and his ability to master the inate human fear of these awesome creatures. His efforts toward greater knowledge & preservation of the grizzly, however controversial, demonstrate his genuine care for wildlife in contrast to those who selfishly seek to destroy the bears. A case in point invovles hunter David Malzac who, back in 1998, shot & killed a then world-record large grizzly north of Denali National Park, AK. Mr. Malzac was quoted in the Anchorage Daily News as stating: "We were moose hunting, but all we saw were wolves and bears. There's lots of wolves and bears there, but no moose. The bear was incidental. I was hunting for moose to fill the freezer. I wanted the meat. (But) we saw this bear on the way back to camp one night. I thought it was kind of nice so I shot him." Mr. Malzac further said that he simply wanted a bear hide for his home. Courageous or foolhardy, insightful or misguided, Tim's dedication is inspiring and commendable. The recent tragedies befallen upon Tim, his friend Amie and Roy Horn are saddening & sobering reminders that the risk of death or injury is omnipresent when in close contact with potentially deadly animals.
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Summary: Dying with Wild Bears in Alaska
Review: Bears aren't people. Humans are animals but animals are not humans. Most individuals who study or advocate for animals especially researchers or conservationists who live closely with animals begin to blur the line between themselves and the animals they study. Jane Goodall, Magdelena Bermejo, Dian Fossey, and the late Mr. Treadwell who all study and live closely with the animals begin to identify with them and begin to treat them as peers. They name them, interact with them in an "unnatural" way, give them medicine and food, and begin to look at them as a family. All of these "researchers" have had emotional experiences in which they feel "accepted" by the subjects of their research. Who can forget seeing Ms. Goodall cry like a baby when the chimps pull bugs out of her hair for the first time and later when her favorite chimp dies? Why do these researchers empathize more with these animals than with the poor, suffering, pathetic humans who try to exploit them as a natural resource to meet their basic needs as humans? Human beings have strong instinctual drives. They are designed to live in a human family like dogs instinctually group in family/packs, chimpanzees in "unit-groups", etc. Some humans, because of their close proximity to animals begin to see the animals as "their family" and begin to instinctually treat the animals as humans. They give them human names, treat them as they would a human child, are motivated by human emotions of concern for the animals, and treat the animals as humans disregarding "nature" and "science" and regrettably like this nut, their own safety and the safety of other humans. In behaving this way they are most basically human. That instinct and emotion is in their nature to assist them in being good mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers in their human families. By selecting animals as the focus of their human instincts, they pervert nature's purpose and see humans as "evil" or "greedy" especially when the interests of humans conflicts with the interests of their non-human, surrogate family of chimps, bears, wolves, or gorillas. Of course the researcher ascribes positive human characteristics to their surrogate families. They are friendly, noble, generous, happy, peaceful, moral, etc. If the animals do not live up to the researchers human expectations the researcher may sometimes "correct" the animal like a mother or a school marm. I remember once seeing Ms. Goodall actually scolding a chimp for some monkey business. Anyone who owns a cat or a dog is probably a little guilty of this same behavior. What do we learn from this nut and others like him? You might think that an animal is a human. You may assign an animal a human name, motives, and morality. You may "bond" with them, communicate with them, and have emotional experiences with them. But that animal is still an animal. It is not the human your human instinct and emotion is trying to make out of it. And that animal knows it is not a human and if he wants to eat you for lunch he will.
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