The Man Who Lived Among Bears.

I was watching the television and came across a documentary titled Grizzly Man. What I did not know is that this film was critically acclaimed and directed by Werner Herzog. The documentary was based on a man named Timothy Treadwell. He was an amateur naturalist, environmentalist, an eco-warrior and also a documentary film maker. He was a unique person in my point of view, with such a strong desire to live among the dangerous grizzly bears for 13 summers, yup, you heard me, 13 summers! But at the end, his girlfriend and he died of a bear attack. The film was very sad and touching; I admire his passion to protect the animals especially the grizzly bears which he dedicated his life to.

Timothy’s mission to protect bears began after he survived a near-fatal heroin overdose in the late 1980s. He knew he had to do something about his life that would be more meaningful. So he travelled to Alaska with a close friend and for the first time that he saw those bears, he had found his calling in life.

Timothy spends most of the early season camping on the “Big Green”, an open area of bear grass in Hallo Bay on the Katmai Coast. He called the area “The Grizzly Sanctuary”. Timothy would name the bears he saw and consistently saw many of the same bears each season. His love for bears allowed him to develop some kind of relationship with the bears and he would even be so close to a bear that he could touch them and would sometimes play with bear cubs. This is a very dangerous thing to do because if a bear decides to attack you, it will kill you. During parts of the late summers he would move to Kaflia Bay and camp on an area with especially thick brush in which he called the “Grizzly Maze”. This is a place where bear trails are everywhere so the chances of seeing one will be a lot higher. As if his work was not dangerous enough, he had to wander off to someplace even more dangerous. In 2001, he managed to gain quite a lot of popularity from his work and attended shows and visited schools to educate children about bears, he was a good man I must say. His adventures weren’t easy with bears, but it was worst with the park’s rangers. He had violated many rules of the national park just to be with the bears. Among all the rules he violated, one I find most disturbing is that he refuses to bring weapons of any sort, not even fixing the electrical fence around his tent for security measures.

 During the year 2003, Timothy and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, visited Katmai National Park. The time of the visit was not usual as it was later in the year than he used to. That was the time when grizzly bears struggle to gain as much fat as possible before winter. The food was scarce that autumn and the bears were more aggressive. On October 6, 2003, Timothy and Amie were found dead near their campsite; their bodies were dismembered and disfigured. They were attacked by a bear. A tape recorder was recording at the time they were attacked, but only the sounds were recorded.

Rest in peace Timothy and Amie, we will always remember the both of you. Timothy’s work will always be valued by us nature lovers and your passion for the wildlife is immeasurable. You will always be an inspiration to us.

Thank you Werner Herzog, for your amazing documentary. I loved every moment of the film and it was a work of art.