Alaska Bear Mauling Recorded on Tape

Yahoo ^ | October 8, 2003 | Rachel D'Oro

[lambo]

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 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.

[Slicksadick]

They're both screaming. She's telling him to play dead, then it changes to fighting back. He asks her to hit the bear,"
I guess that love turned to hate pretty quick huh?

[Support Free Republic]

Hi mom!

[billorites]

"She's telling him to play dead, then it changes to fighting back. He asks her to hit the bear"

That's gotta suck.

[Question_Assumptions]

Unfortunately, this became "Among Grizzlies: Dying With Wild Bears in Alaska."

[Centurion2000]

Now someone needs to work this into a heavy metal tune.

Kinda like "Get outta my room, and Leave ME Alone"

[freekitty]

I don't think it works real well telling a bear you love it.

[Sharpshot613]

Alone in Alaska with nary a firearm between them. Does tragedy disqualify one for Darwin award contention? I hope not.

[cabbieguy]

Playing with bears and swimming with sharks just don't seem to be getting to the top of my "to do" list.

[Slicksadick]

Well at least his final recording can be used as an Alaskan PSA on how not to behave around bears.

[aruanan]

We don't live in a Disney world populated by singing, vegetarian, sans anus animals. Too bad more people, even those who should know better, don't take things more seriously.

[new cruelty]

This reminds me of that team of volcano experts that died while driving up to an active volcano.

[jwfiv]

...more on the bear story...whoa!

[BOBWADE]

"lookin for love in all the wrong places"
Johny Paycheck had this one pegged.

[Klickitat]

I don't know who came up with that stupid play dead concept. I remember there was a photographer in Denali park who was photographing a bear. When it got close to him he flopped down on the ground. The bear, apparently interested by this action, came over and took a few bites out of him.

Anyone who messes with bears is an idiot and a darwin award nominee. My policy was if I couldn't carry a gun in an area I'm not hiking there.

Here's an old joke.

Park Service Advisory: Hikers are advised to carry pepper spray and bells when going into bear country. The sound of the bells should scare the bears away, and if that doesn't work the pepper spray will.

If you come across bear scat you can tell the species of bear by what is in the excrement. Black bear excrement will have berry seeds, and small animal bones. Grizzly excrement will smell strongly of pepper and have fragments of bell and hiking gear in it.

[Ditter]

Some bear experts these people were.

[GulliverSwift]

She's telling him to play dead, then it changes to fighting back. He asks her to hit the bear,

A liberal animal activist hitting a poor animal?

[SJSAMPLE]

In case it hasn't been posted:

Hold my BEAR alert.

Get it?


I kill me.