One Dead Grizzly Man and His Celebrity Enablers
by Humberto FontovaIn his day “Grizzly Man” and “Bear Expert” Timothy Treadwell was the toast of glitterati on both coasts, a favored guest of Letterman and Rosie, a Discovery Channel regular, a friend and soulmate of Leo Di Caprio. “Common sense will tell you that this man knows infinitely more about Grizzly bears than anyone.” That’s Hollywood screenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown), who had been also active in Treadwell’s animal rightist group named Grizzly People.
“I want to live with them and go with them and not carry something that will hurt them. I mastered a way of interacting with them with body language that enables me to be in extremely close contact with them” sighed Treadwell to a mesmerized Letterman while a guest on his show. “Grizzly bears are really just big party animals. I discovered that singing soothes these bears.”
These bears are 1200-pound monstrosities. Their teeth and claws weren’t meant for hors d’oeuvres much less caressing. Love songs and valentine entreaties in the form of Mariah Carey and Barry White, or even Luther Vandross and Peabo Bryson lyrics will might work for a while, however….
In November 2003, when a bush pilot dropped in to pick up Treadwell and his girlfriend from their remote campsite in brown bear country, he found a party animal indeed – a dinner party animal. A huge brown bear was sitting atop some mangled human bodies and still munching away. Apparently he’d put his predatory equipment to work big time, stalking, rushing in, then eating both Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, right down to their Birkenstock hiking boots and Ying-Yang pendants.
“Whoops! – Yikes!” The pilot skedaddled and called the park Rangers who got there posthaste and heavily armed. No sooner had they reached the gruesome mess when a huge bear charged from the brush. None of that rising up on the hind legs bit. None of that growling bit.
That’s for bluff. And like Hemingway tells us in Death in the Afternoon “an animal bluffs in order to avoid combat.” This brute meant business. He was mum, his beady eyes focused on another meal and his legs pumping furiously.
Amazingly, the bug-eyed Rangers refrained from crooning Lionel Ritchie’s and Diana Ross’ Endless Love. Call them pathetic yahoos, you Grizzly People, but no Karen Carpenter or even Celine Dion lyrics passed through their heads. Their magnums did the singing: BLAM!-BLAM! –BLAM! Twelve ear-splitting notes later the charging bear finally crumpled and skidded to a stop.
Still shaking and with parched mouths, the Rangers paced the distance to the bleeding behemoth and it came to 12 feet. “That was cutting it close,” one gasped. The bear’s autopsy showed most of Timothy Treadwell in his stomach.
Minutes later the Rangers noticed another bear stalking them through the brush. Call them hopeless yokels, you Grizzly People, but nary a line from either Roberta Flack, Carole King or even Enya came to mind. Both Minnie Riperton and Barry Manilow were ignored completely. If any lyrics entered their minds they were Gloria Gaynor’s, I Will Survive!
The magnums sang again. They rangers opened up with everything they had, knowing these bears respond to only one song: Born To Be Wild.
Turns out, Treadwell had a mike turned on during the attack. The Rangers found it and have provided excerpts. “They’re killing me out here!” he screams to his girlfriend. So Olivia Newton John’s I Honestly Love You must have fallen on deaf ears. Elton John had apparently proved ineffective. Both Can You Feel The Love Tonight and Your Song went unheeded.
Then came the Treadwell “whodunit?” Was it Cupcake or Freckles? Booble or Aunt Melissa? Perhaps adorable little Taffy? Treadwell named the bears, you see, much like Jane Goodall named her chimps. Perhaps Quincy was the culprit? “Quincy, do you remember when you stood over me?” That’s Treadwell interacting with a massive bear on one of his videos. “You were so hungry, and you should have eaten me, but you didn’t. Thanks for not eating me, Quincy – but if you had eaten me, good, ’cause you’re a nice bear!”
They say Treadwell was a recovering dope fiend and serious lush. “I will stop drinking for you and all bears. I will stop and devote my life to you,” he coos on one of his videos. “Bears are so much better than people. I’m their lifeguard. I’m there to keep the poachers and sport hunters away. In fact, I’m much more likely to be killed by an angry sport hunter than a bear.”
Malibu’s Grizzly People might gape at Treadwell’s fate. No bear hunter would. The ancients had better sense. “There can be no covenant between lions and men,” wrote Homer. Spanish philosopher and man of letters, Jose Ortega y Gasset, also shines a light: “The real care that man must exercise is in not pretending to make the beast equal to him,” he writes in his Meditations On Hunting. “This is a stupid utopia, a beatific farce. Hunting, on the other hand, contains a rite where homage is paid to what is transcendent in the Laws of nature.”
You’re tempted to laugh at this tragedy. It’s a powerful lure – almost a suction. The pair were Malibu California residents, caricatures of the species – New-Agists, animal-rightists, vegetarians… complete yo-yos. But it still strikes me as tragic.
Treadwell should have stayed on the booze. His friends should have done “an intervention” to get him back on booze. Mighta saved his life. Somehow I can’t imagine Ozzie Osbourne or Keith Richards– however “stimulated” at the time–engaging in anything half as stupid as Treadwell’s last hobby.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
365 Comments
As Thomas J. Clement said, "All dogs bite. All cats scratch."
……………and all rattlesnakes bite.
Is it tragic? Perhaps.
The two dead pilgrims are a living testament that "dudes" ought stay in their cities, in their Mc-Mansions.
What an idiot. He was such a typical lib. Well one less moron to vote for obamma
Nature does not care. Nature kills. Nothing can change that.
Nothing wrong with loving grizzly bears. You just have to remember that the bears do NOT love you back.
to all the Prius driving, obama-bumpersticker-touting, eco-loving, save-the-planet-from-the-humans, self-righteous, smug bastards, i say this:
A carnivorous predator is exactly what it sounds like. A carnivorous predator. It will eat you because you are made of FOOD. That's the law of nature. Only the strong survive. That's what nature shows USED to preach. Now it's all rainbows and unicorns.
That being said, this article reminded me that the treadwell documentary is still one of the finest non-fiction comedy documentaries of all time!
They are called Wild Animals for a reson. I remember when I first heard of this individual and I knew it would not end well. The really tragic part is that he talked his girl freind into this suicide pact as well.
……….and it is nothing personal. It is simply nature doing what nature does best. Some addled folks do not simply know what end of the food chain they are on.
As the old saying goes: "Every morning when the sun comes up in Africa, the lion and the gazelle each rise to their feet and start running. One is running for his life, the other is running for his breakfast."
People just need to stay aware of what they want to be; a lion, or a gazelle………
What is it with these people? Do they really think that if a person interacts in an "enlightened" manner, then the danger goes away? It's the same reasoning they use to tell us the terrorist really are good guys, just misunderstood. We just have to extend out our hand and they will unclench their fist, right?
The bumpersticker would read "Environmentalists Live In Cities."
If grizzly bears were cuddly little teddybear cutie-pies, there would not be a market for field-specific handguns like the Ruger Super Redhawk. 2.5" barrel, chambered in .44mag or .454 casull. That is a compact HAND CANNON. No real gun enthusiast would waste their wrists firing something like that at the range. It is meant to stop a charging grizzly/polarbear as quickly and efficiently as possible. Bears won't stop and wait for you to reload.
Umm, can we form a "buy a liberal a bear" fund?
You got that right. This "dude" got all the nature living he wanted serving four years in the fleet marines back in the 80's. Nothing makes you "appreciate" Nature more than clearing brush out of an old fighting hole and finding a rattlesnake sleeping at the bottom. Admire nature from afar is my motto.
Can't get enough of your love Bear!
Pardon my ignorance, but what is the point of this article? Yes, Treadwell was an idiot who paid the price for his stupidity, but he was killed seven years ago, and his last brush with Hollywood was in 2005, when Herzog's not-exactly-sympathetic documentary "Grizzly Man" came out. The headline promises discussion of his "celebrity enablers" — presumably the connection that would put this on the Big Hollywood site — but apart from the superficial opening paragraph and the Letterman link, where is that discussion? Name-dropping random celebrities with no actual connection to Treadwell (e.g. Karen Carpenter) doesn't count.
Or maybe "buy a bear a liberal."
Cowboy Logic as a Marine I resent you upending our flag…you must be one of those"all hat and no cattle" cowboys I see when I drive into Dallas. If you are in DISTRESS try taking your head out of your butt.
Vietnam Vet
Capt USMC
Naval Aviator
REAL Cowboy
That is it exactly. You have to realize what they are – and I am completely impressed with grizzly bears, but I will NOT be getting within a mile of one. It's hard to "relate" to a creature that will constantly be seeing you as a back-up dish if nothing else pans out.
As I mentioned in the previous Grizzley Man post, while I was watching the movie it became obvious hat Treadwell was so obnoxious that I was rooting for the bears.
Years ago (41 in fact) I was working in the back country of Sequioa NP and that same fateful summer, besides watching Armstrong on the moon, a female camper was killed in Glacier NP by a Grizzley. It attacked and ate her in her sleeping bag.
It turned out she was menstruating and the blood attracted the bear.
I have traveled from Kenya to Denali NP and have learned about *some** urbanite people. The disassociate wildlife from danger.
We are in a van with a pop up roof – the guides would drive right up to the lions, sleepy and with fat bellies from feeding during the night.
We pull up to a lioness who was content – we are about 8' from her.
People stood up in the van and the cameras started clicking.
A woman turned to me and said "let's throw something at her so she'll look out way". The lion could have been in the van in a heartbeat.
Later at a campsite in the Masi Mara – you are escorted by a guard after dinner back to your tent and given strict instructions not to leave it unil morning. They have automatic weapons. But a few weeks before us 2 woman from the Bay Area took it upon themselves to have a midnight stroll and what was left of them was seen the next morning after a cape buffalo finished with them.
BTW of the "Big Five" in Africa the cape buffalo is the most dangerous.
They are short tempered and unpredictable.
When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing— they believe in anything. ~ G. K. Chesterton
–To think we understand everything great, ferocious and small, the past and the present, displays the arrogance of an ass.
Truly, I hope they're resting in peace.
I've heard it also takes the bear a few minutes to realize it is indeed dead; however, it will continue to maul and rip your throat out until it gets the message. I can respect that – at least in theory. (laugh)
Thanks to Treadwell's idiotic, childish liberal fantasies about nature and bears, two humans were killed and two bears were shot. None of this had to happen. Treadwell did not have to be in "The Grizzly Maze" during the fall, he did not have to bring his girlfriend, he did not have to acclimate the bears to his presence. Bears must fear man because bears or man will be killed in a conflict. Their fear and distrust keeps them safe from us.
Bring up any liberal policy or belief, and I can show you how it brings cruelty and destruction.
Real cowboy?
Ok.
Cute avatar.
Where I come from, cowboys don't wear bib overhalls, or sleveless tee shirts.
A German film maker made an excellent documentary on this buffoon that comes up on cable every once in-awhile. This bear guy spent most of his time up there in the summer. The bears were surrounded by food and were eating all day long. That is when the hippie sang to the bears. His mistake was to stay into the early winter when food runs low and the Bears are doing the final fattening up for hibernation.
FYI. A gorilla's muscle fiber is 9 times stronger than mans. A Brown Bears muscle fiber is 9 times stronger and 9 times faster. A 1200 pound Brown Bear is the lord of his domain, no contest.
if you're hitting it with a 9mm with a 15rd clip, i'd agree. they will die, after they kill you. The amount of damage that a large caliber round like the two I listed is that it's designed to drop a large target, quickly. 9mm have a much higher velocity. they create a small wound channel. A .44 or .454 casull are much heavier. (120grains vs over 250grains) and also impact with far greater energy. 9mm will hit with 300-400 ft-lbs of energy, but a .454 with a hot load will hit with 1900ft lbs. it's like getting hit with a truck.
Or as in that famous Far Side, "Hey I like these (igloos) – all crunchy on the outside and pink and gooey inside!"
Years ago the wife and I were up in San Francisco doing the tourist thing. We happened upon the SF Zoo and decided to go for a stroll there. Very old school zoo, btw. Came upon the Kodiak Bear "pit". Reading the marker out front told me that the Kodiak is the largest of the bears, with males clocking in at around 1500 lbs. It was a "I have to check this out!" moment. Looking into the enclosure no bear. Bummer. Then something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Glancing down into the moat I saw it. "OMFG! That thing could take down an elephant!" It was huge. And scary looking. Any rational human being would not want to be anywhere near that huge predator out in the wild. But then liberal tree-hugging enviro whack jobs are not rational human beings. And they get eaten. Darwinism at its best.
A Darwin pact. Weep not.
The Disneyfication of the world is nearly complete….but the REAL animals haven't watched enough cartoons yet.
I like that better.
Hollywoods favorites: Castro, Chavez & Treadwell. Hollywoods most despised: Sarah Palin, George W. Bush, Andrew Breitbart, ect…ect..
Bear: I love the taste of liberal morons in the morning.
"I guess it is a dog-eat-dog world after all." Right Ed, and self-centered egomaniacs like this Treadwell moron are not only wearing milk-bone underwear, but are also wearing necklaces made of them. I'm sure he had the same reaction that a Peta activist has when trampled by a heard of cows she was setting free, or a smelly tree hugger falling to his death from high up in a Sequoia he was roosting to prevent its being cut down. And that thought is, "Something's wrong here. Don't they realize I'm trying to help them?" Studpidity plus an unhealthy Christ complex equals death.
Heck, a 300 lb Brown Bear is lord of his domain…
You know, we should be proud the author here resisted the temptation in remarking that the same lessons can be drawn on human interactions.
We'll see how that BHO understanding and respect works out with our GWOTpolicy.
Speak softly, and carry a BIG stick.
How many bears did he really save? Probably zero. How many were killed because of his stupidity? Two.
This should serve as an example of how most liberal policy works.
The point is, that deluded, sanctimonious liberals don't live in the world of reality – rather, they choose unattainable ideals, dreams and hopes over truth. Indeed, they go to great lengths to deny truth and reality. In addition, they care more about animals than humans. This article is just another prime example of the folly of the leftist thought process, and Hollywood leftism in particular, where fads and are followed and critical thought is shunned. The consequences are always dire.
I concur, it’s nothing personal, and that’s the problem with some people, they’ve personified Nature, giving it human attributes it doesn’t have, and have forgotten that the lion does not lie down with the lamb.
This tragic story sums up the modern environ-mental-ist movement in so many ways. I'm ashamed to admit that I used to be one of these people not too long ago. The anti-human environ-mental-ists have fed us a steady diet of propaganda for decades. When a Great White shark chomps a 40 year old father of 3 in half while surfing off the coast of Australia? It was just a "test bite" you see. He must have confused him for a seal since they aren't interested in eating humans at all when they're hungry the environ-mental-ists claim. As if that's supposed to make his grieving family feel better. The environ-mental-ist sympathizing media then quickly intervirew the family members saying they don't blame the shark since it's we evil humans who are encroaching upon the shark's territory.
They were trying to kill the rangers. Were they suppose to just sit there and be lunch?
Which just goes to show you how far this environ-mental-ist propaganda has gone. And when the family members reacte angerily saying they want to hunt the shark or other wild beast down and kill it the media doesn't usually report it. The environ-mental-ists are also quick to mention that without these large man eating predators the entire ecosystem would collapse (not true) as if the oceans, rivers and streams would turn into green cess pools and the forests would become lifeless wastelands. The leftist environ-mental-ists have been pushing an anti-human agenda on all of us by protraying humans as a cancer on this planet which is destroying the environment. That's why people ~cheered~ when those tigers mauled those kids to death in California a few years ago. "Score one for mother nature!" I actually heard several of my environ-mental-ist friends say.
The environ-mental-ists also champion the cause of banning all guns in national parks or guns in general because it prevents wild animals from being killed. As a result a Canadian singer was recently eaten by coyotes while she was hiking. They lefty environ-mental-ists ~know~ that their policies will result in innocent people dying but they don't care. That's because they value animal life above human life. They actually lobby for the Russian government to allow tigers to freely roam through Russian neighborhoods and huge grizzly bears through Alaskan neighborhoods. How messed up is that? Would you want grizzly bears and tigers roaming through your neighborhoods? And when one of these bears or tigers kills someone you want to know who the environ-mental-ist media and activists blame? The residents for not doing a better job of covering up scents such as garbage which could attract the wild animals.
(Bear) I think I'll eat a human this morning for Breakfast. Hibernation plum made me wanna snack. I hear vegan idiot is a delicacy.
Even in my own area coyotes and mountain lions are making a comeback and obliterating our pet population and even attacking residents every so often. My area used to be infested with all kinds of dangerous predators a 100 years ago but Americans in those days had the common sense to hunt them to extinction in order to protect their families and neighbors. Now they're coming back and there isn't the political will to hunt them down again like we would have done in past more sensible times. The next victim of these wild predators will mearly be a sacrificial lamb in the mind of the mainstream. An unfortunate but necessary evil we're all going to have to learn to live with. Well I say screw that. Time to let the hunters loose again and make our environment safe for we ~humans~ to live in.
And before people start crying "think of the animals you monster!", I've lived in an extremely beautiful part of the country ~without~ large predators and I was glad to not have to worry about them. And I've traveled to Europe where all the dangerous predators were hunted to extinction long ago. The country side is still extremely beautiful. There's just more cute fluffy bunnies and deer running around now that they aren't being hunted by wolves and bears. And it makes enjoying the outdoors more pleasent when you don't have to worry about your loved ones being eaten. It's time we do the same for our oceans and forests. Hunt all the man eating sharks and large land based predators down. More dolphins and badgers sounds good to me.
I mean, for God sakes, they even pat themselves on the backs for "saving" the crocodile and alligator populations from us evil humans. Oh wow, you've allowed our rivers and golf courses to be infested with disgusting looking giant lizards which will rip your arms off or death spiral your kids and shove them under a log to be eaten later. Congratulations! Time to reintroduce common sense into our environmental policies.
Unless the lion ate too much lamb and is taking a nap…
A kid up in Kodiac hunting killed a Brown Bear that weighed I think well over 1000 pounds. The photos of its paws were massive. Treadwell deserved to get what he got. His girl friend should never have been there and should have known he was an idiot from the get go. Commonsense lost….never to be found.
That pretty mmuch sums it up.
I love these comments. Ole Timmy-boy was a total idiot. I have also asked myself the question, why is it that liberals think that they are so enlightened? I have had close encounters with bears, moose, elk and even an ill-tempered badger. Animals live in the wilds for a reason, and people live in cities for a reason. That reason is that animals and humans just don't mix well. Animals maim and injure, and even eat people. People eat animals. So where's the enlightenment?
I wouldn't want to meet a Cape Buffalo Bull without my 450 Winchester and a good deal of distance between me and him. After years of hunting and being out there and watching and learning you learn on valuable lesson….these animals are not your friends. Even our White Tailed Deer are not your friends. They flee because they know you'll eat em but they aren't your friends.
As for the mighty Cape Buffalo, Robert Ruark once said, " The Cape Buffalo Bull looks at you like you owe him money.."
I am also curious as to why Mr. Fontova is writing this article now. In any case, it shows the danger of cuddling up with dangerous creatures. Maybe all those celebs who seem to love hanging out with fascist dictators should learn something from Treadwell.
Also, this man called himself an expert on bears and yet he had his girl friend living with him in a tent. Since this is mixed company I will not be graphic, but any woman who backpacks in bear country knows (or should know) that there are certain, shall we say, periods … of the month when it inadvisable to stay in an open air tent when there are bears around because you smell like food.
The poor bear had the runs after that meal.
I think it's tragic that they killed the bear.
Kind of like exwives.
I've asked this before. Isn't this the same mindset that these liberals have for dictators?
Yes, they killed both bears. Yogi and Boo-boo.
Luckily, Smokey wasn't there.
My step dad broke horses and mules, rode rodeo for 15 years and has raised cattle and horses his entire life, if anyone is closer to a cowboy he is and his work clothes consisted of bib overalls and sleeveless shirts.
The definition of Cowboy is not expensive stetson hats and button up dress shirts.
I wasn't TEMPTED to laugh, I did a belly roll! LOL I am an animal lover, but I have enough sense to love them and know what they are. They are animals. They do not behave as humans and try as we might, we can't put our feelings and emotions and needs inside a wild animal. Even my well fed, spoiled rotten dogs are dogs. And I love them for being what they are. Never do I want to see animals harmed but the fact that those bears are DEAD is Treadwells fault, not the bears.
BINGO!
You hit the point that nobody will touch.
Anyone familiar with nature knows that.
THAT, is what drew the bears in, and caused them to act the way they did.
That's what you get for messing with those picnic baskets.
We visited Yellowstone a few years ago. They have signs everywhere warning people about the dangers of the buffalo. My husband is from Idaho Falls, ID. They have one of the best trauma care centers in the country because that is where all the buffalo goring victims are transported by helicopter.
Everywhere we went people were walking within a few yards of the buffalos taking pictures. It was like they thought they were either tame or animatronics at Disney World. Finally it was too much when we saw one man who was standing only a couple of feet in front of a large male buffalo to get a real close up picture. We rushed into a lodge nearby to report it. The guy behind the desk merely shrugged his shoulders and said, "We can't save them all."
Great quote!
The irony of the situation is that Treadwell guaranteed the death of his beloved grizzlies by teaching them that humans are tasty. At that point, they no longer fear us and try to scare us out of their territory, but start hunting us as pointed out in the post. The only rational response to a bear that has a hankering for human flesh like Malibu Tim had for fine wine is that of the Park Rangers.
I think you are all missing the point.
Back in November there was this:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/11/islamophobic-be...
Now we have this.
Don't you see?
The bears are our friends! Look at who they are eating!
Yes, those rangers had to defend themselves. But really, wouldn't you be a bit annoyed at people who showed up when you were kicking back, trying to digest, after a big meal?
We just need to keep that in mind and respect their personal and home space, particularly at meal time. As long as we do that, they are on our side!
I forgot to include a salient quote:
Stupidity is always a capital crime. – Larry Niven
Gee…..if only they'd played a few ABBA tunes for Da Bears. What's the old line about Genius, Stupidity and Limits? There is no limit on this kind of STOOPIDITY, for sure. The Treadwell example proves it!
You bring up a good point. The attempt to anthropomorphize nature is this "nature's God" concept that the Mount Vernon people are propagating. An attempt to put a human face on nature humanizes nature yet it is far from human, humane, or friendly. The classical Chinese concept of nature was that should an animal display a characteristic which we can identify as similar to human, respect that and leave it alone. The exact opposite of what this loon did. I agree this is a tragedy. More than that, a senseless tragedy. The park rangers should have run this guy off long before. In closing, my favorite Zen saying is "Dog has dog job, cat has cat job." To that I add "bear has bear job."
I agree with your explanation of the mindset behind Treadwell. But I wonder why the author didn't bother getting into how specific Hollywood people hold those views you mentioned and how those people supported Treadwell or cheered him on. There's just an intro paragraph without details and that Letterman link. Instead of exploring the actual Hollywood angle, there's a lot of disconnected name-dropping and imagining which irrelevant songs probably didn't run through various peoples' heads. Seems like lazy writing to me.
You bring up an excellent point regarding the mindset of these loons. It took me a while to start understanding what makes a proglib tick but when I did, it is really quite simple. Aside from their "save the world" at everybody's cost attitude, the one thing they always think is that if they agree with the narrative, whether their own or someone else's, they are immune from the consequences. It will always stop a proglib in their tracks, for instance, if you say, "Of course you want health care for everyone. You do realize, however that you too will lose your current health plan and will pay $1500 a year extra in taxes to do that, and you want get treatment, don't you?"
Or conversly, "Of course you love those cuddly, very big, bears. You do realize, however, that when you cuddle and sing to them, they will eat you, don't you?"
It works in every case and every slice of the proglib pie at every level.
All that hope and change, right up to the moment it ate him. Now think Obama and you have a clearer perspective.
Darwin indeed. Spot on. At least they won't be reproducing.
I love it when a man talks like that!
A man with this kind of knowledge would never watch 30 chick flicks in 30 days to enhance his marriage (spit).
The Cape buff (from what I've read, believe me I've never tested it) must hold the world record for sheer wanton homicidal viciousness. Unlike a lion/bear/tiger, who is after all interested in high-protein dinner and has evolved to obtain it, the buff has no interest in feeding himself at your expense- just reducing you to a greasy red smear, because he feels like it.
Punch a dirty hippy, sponsor an Alaskan vacation!
Actually he got two bears killed that day … he put the rest of them at risk.
The bear's natural fear and distrust of man PROTECTS them. When bears get too comfortable around man they end up dead.
Typical liberal … claim to want to "protect" something from the evils of capitalism and white people and end up harming (if not destroying that) which they wish to protect.
"Maybe all those celebs who seem to love hanging out with fascist dictators should learn something from Treadwell."
Bingo. The mentality that wants to cuddle grizzly bears is the same mentality that wants to cuddle the likes of Castro, Chavez and Hamas.
Fortunately for the bears they were shot before they had to pass these two.
What tune did you have in mind? "Take a Chance on Me?"
Putin is "The Bear"…ObowMao is "lunch".
I love this story and I wish I could hear the bones crunch in the tape.
Although I would pass up listening to this tape to see a tape of Rachel Corrie getting run over by a bulldozer.
Y'know what's an even better solution to this? Not going where a bear is…
"Darwinism at work! YES!"
Careful, that there's a baaaaaad word 'round these parts
Why couldn't this guy get a dog? Seriously…
The "comic" bloodlust in these talkbacks is stronger than usual. Andrew and John must feel like proud papas
I see no substantial difference between the one-dimensional demonization of animals ("RED IN TOOTH N' CLAW!!!!!!!!") spewed to justify the Great White Hunter fantasies of many here ("Raaaarrrgh!! Check out the specs on my bad-ass bear-blastin' HAND CANNON!!") and the one-dimensional beatification of animals from lunatics like Treadwell.
Next year's submission for the Darwin Award.
I'm always torn between laughing at this and sadness that someone was this stupid/disturbed. I saw his parents interviewed (maybe in the actual documentary, I can't remember) and they seem sweet and completely sane people.____And the underreported portion of this story is how his interference with the bear that killed him also endangered the lives of those who found his body. I live in Washington state. I know plenty of granola types like Treadwell, but even most of them understand you admire wildlife from afar, for the safety of the humans and the animals.
Good job author, awesome way to ridicule and make fun of a man who was brutally killed, very classy.
Dude–I'm as much of a city dweller as they come and I know you don't go around bears when you have your period. Not sure when I picked that nugget up, but give some of us credit for not being total morons when it comes to wildlife.
Maybe it's a new feature? Schadenfreude Thursdays?
I'm sorry, but that's…kind of sick.
Liar.
This idiot brought it on himself and one other person….definite contender for a lifetime Darwin award.
I guess it's just too bad Treadwell didn't have one of those Avatar/Na'vi USB cable attachements; he could have just jacked in to that bear's a$$ and then been all buddy buddy.
This is what is known as a cautionary tale. The man and his girlfriend were brutally killed by wild animals that he failed to respect. Respect in terms of the true nature of a wild animal and to have a healthy notion of the danger that they posed.
First of all, on the internet, EVERYONE'S a judge. This thread is a stream of people passing judgement on treadwell.
And second, it's a legitimate observation of a pretty twisted desire.
If they had waited for another several hours, the Rangers would have been able to obtain the answer that age old question:
Does a bear shit an environmentalist in the woods?
PLEASE tell me this pair didn't reproduce.
Stupidity should be fatal far more often. I'd find it kind of cathartic, like girls I know who are obsessed with popping zits even on other people.
You must be logged in to post a comment.