Wildlife author killed, eaten by bears he loved

Anchorage Daily News ^ | October 8, 2003 | CRAIG MEDRED

[Calamari]

A California author and filmmaker who became famous for trekking to Alaska's remote Katmai coast to commune with brown bears has fallen victim to the teeth and claws of the wild animals he loved.

...The fearless former drug addict from Malibu, Calif. -- who routinely eased up close to bears to chant "I love you'' in a high-pitched, sing-song voice --

[strela]

Somebody told the guy "scat" and he took them a bit TOO literally ...

(cymbal crash)

Nuthin' sez lovin' like a wildlife author in the oven

(drum roll)

[Perseverando]

The fearless former drug addict from Malibu, Calif. -- who routinely eased up close to bears to chant "I love you'' in a high-pitched, sing-song voice --

Bear: "And we love humans, . . . they're delicious."

[Motherhood IS a career]

famous for trekking to Alaska's remote Katmai coast to commune with brown bears...

And some say there's no such thing as evolution...

[Criminal Number 18F]

And now he's a turd on the tundra.

You gotta read the whole article -- it's priceless -- he is quoted as saying, "I would be honoured to end up as bear scat."

The rangers also allow how it was really a tragedy, they had no choice but to shoot two bears that they were attacked by while picking up the odds and ends remaining from these two gormless "eco-warriors".

Jeez this is going to be a tough year for the Darwin judges. First Rachael Corrie, now this Malibeauty.

You can also read an excerpt of his book on Amazon -- unfortunately, it's not the bit about his mutual love affair with Ursus Horribilis but about his fun times on coke and heroin.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Steely Glint]

One less hippie. The world is a better place.

[Bobibutu]

"The boar was described as an underweight, old male with rotting teeth."

Here is the crux of the problem and the falicy in this persons thinking.

Ever have a tooth ache? Make you a little testy and on edge? How about a mouthfull of tooth ache - for months or years - and no relief - make you a little crazy and unpredictable?

Underweight - not a succesful hunter any more - take whatever you can get.

The point is that sooner or later if you insist being in bear country you will meet up with just what the rangers described here. And then you can throw all your experience out the window and enter into that bears world of total insanity driven by hunger and lots of pain.

It is true that humans are not on the natural diet menu for bears and if you follow their rules - stay away from cubs - don't surprise them over their latest kill - don't argue over whos fish it is on the end of your line etc. they will probably ignore you.

But then one day .....

btw - I lived in Alaska for 5 years and spent a signaficant part of that time out in the "bush". All my bear encounters were positive. I was armed.

[Criminal Number 18F]

I wonder if he was a PETA member?

People Eaten by Terrible Animals?

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[geedee]

one less Gore voter

He can still vote absentee.

[LouD]

"Oh, Hey! I just love these things! .... Crunchy on the outside and a chewy center"

[San Jacinto]

There are many ways to discorage attack, including using a soft cooing voice, they don't know what he is saying just the tone is enough.

Maybe the bears were just hungry and didn't care at the moment what their dinner sounded like.

From the article--
Most of their food was found in bear-proof containers near the camp.

If his soft cooing did not work, he could have climbed into a bear-proof container.

[gortklattu]

I imagine he walked up to the bear and said:

"Yo! Eat me!

[archy]

I'm trying very hard to refrain from laughing.

Heck, turn it loose. If anyone deserved to end up as bear crap, it's this guy.

Concur.

[Don Munn]

Because..(sing along)

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

Sometimes you don't.

[justanotherfreeper]

Update --
Alaska Bear Mauling Recorded on Tape
1 hour, 44 minutes ago Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!
By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press Writer

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The graphic sounds of a fatal bear attack were recorded, Alaska state troopers discovered Wednesday while reviewing a tape recovered near the bodies of a wildlife author and his girlfriend.

Trooper Chris Hill said Timothy Treadwell may have been wearing a wireless (news - web sites) microphone likely activated when he was attacked by the brown bear at Katmai National Park and Preserve. The videotape has audio only; the screen remains blank for the three-minute recording.

"They're both screaming. She's telling him to play dead, then it changes to fighting back. He asks her to hit the bear," Hill said. "There's so much noise going on. I don't know what's him and what might be an animal."

The bodies of Treadwell, 46, and Amie Huguenard, 37, both of Malibu, Calif., were found near Kaflia Bay on Monday after an air taxi pilot arrived to pick them up. The pilot contacted the National Park Service and state troopers to report a brown bear was apparently sitting on top of human remains at the campsite.

After rangers arrived one of them shot and killed a large brown bear when the animal charged through the dense brush. Rangers and troopers later killed a smaller bear apparently stalking them.

An autopsy on the human remains confirmed Wednesday the couple were killed by bears.

Troopers recovered video and still photography equipment as well as three hours of video footage from the site, across Shelikof Strait from Kodiak Island.

Much of the footage is close-up shots of bears for which Treadwell was well-known. Some scenes show bears no more than a few feet from Treadwell, co-author of "Among Grizzlies: Living With Wild Bears in Alaska." Others show a more timid Huguenard leaning away as bears come close to her on the bank of a river.

[Vetnet]

Katmai park rangers who went Monday to retrieve the remains of Treadwell and Huguenard -- both of whom were largely eaten -- ended up killing two bears near the couple's campsite.

So the score is BEARS 2 - PEOPLE 2

....but the season's still early...

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

I think it is in pretty poor taste to make fun of this. He may have been a lefty, but this is not Global Warming or some of the other junk science that the greens support. After all Republicans started wildlife preservation. I admit he was foolish, but I have seen some of his films and it was pretty impressive. I especially enjoyed the Fox's that liked to play ball with him. I guess Fox's are kinda like really stinky dogs.

[Vetnet]

...uh gotcha! .....like really stinky dogs....uh thanks!

[Elle Bee]

LOL

.

[attiladhun2]

Actually the bear got two for one. The bear started with him (the appetizer) and then tore open the tent to get to the main course (the girl friend).

[attiladhun2]

The pilot who was flying in to take them out knew something was wrong when he noticed a big fat bear near their camp sitting on a log picking his teeth.