unluckly 13: Tim Treadwell

Winner of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Alfred A. Sloan award; Werner Herzog’s documentary film “Grizzly Man” attempts to take a unique look at the life and mental outlook of wildlife preservationist Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell has camped in Alaska’s Katmai National Park for twelve years co-habiting with his beloved bears and other wildlife in the area. Treadwell credits these expeditions with the changing of his wild lifestyle and keeping him sober without formal treatment. In Treadwell’s video footage of his expeditions, he often states “I must hold my own if I’m gonna stay within this land…they will decapitate me, they will chop me into bits and pieces. I’m dead!” Unfortunately, that unlucky thirteenth expedition ended in the deaths of Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard. Using film footage Treadwell recorded during his last five expeditions and up to the time of his death. Herzog introduces several interesting questions in his documentary, such as, was Treadwell doing more harm than good with his methodology in Alaska, was Treadwell an environmentalist or an egomaniac, lastly, how dose man really fit into the scheme of nature?
Till the time of Treadwell’s untimely death, he stride to preserve the land which the great grizzly roamed and lived. He was often observed in his footage protesting to have the National Parks increased to protect these regal animals in Alaska’s wilderness and their food source. But, many believed his methodology may have done more harm than good for these animals. By living among these animals, these “Majestic Creatures” may have cause a disturbance of natural order, a distinction between man and beast. Treadwell living among these animals may have caused some people to loss their fear of these fearsome animals and attempt these stunts, although advised not too, causing harm to the bears and even worst the lost of another human live. These stunts may also cause the bears to loss their natural instinct to stay clear from human giving hunters and poachers an advantage and a greater opportunity in the killing of these animals. Sven Haakanson, PhD, Curator of the Kodiak’s Alvtiiq Museum states “It’s because…he died and his girlfriend died…you don’t invade on their territory…I think he did more damage to the bears than he did—because when you habituate bears to humans, they think all humans are safe. Where I grew up the bears avoid us and we avoid them. They’re not habituated to us if I look at it from my culture, Timothy Treadwell crossed the boundary that we have lived with for 7000 years, it’s an unspoken boundary, an unknown boundary, but when we’ve crossed it, we pay the price”. Just has Huguenard and Treadwell paid that price for crossing that imaginary boundary.
Times during Herzog’s documentary, it’s unclear if Treadwell an environmentalist fighting for the protection of wildlife or an egomaniac wanting attention, something he stride for before finding his peace in the wilderness. Just before he begin his expeditions, it was noted how he lost a sit-com role to Woody Harrison. Treadwell is often viewed declaring his love for the wilderness and its animals with such statements as “It’s good work, I feel good about it, I feel good about myself doing it…I will die for these animals, I will die for these animals …I had no life, now I have a life”. Which at times seem as if he was acting? Then there are times, Treadwell would rant and rage statements as “I came ere and protected the animals as best I could. In fact, I’m the only protection of these animals out there. The government flying over a total of two times, in a two months. How dare they! How dare they challenge me! How dare they smear me with their campaigns... and I come here in peace and love… I will be an American dissident if I need be. Fuck you, Motherfucking Park Service! … Animals rule. Timothy conquered!!” Treadwell’s unconventional statements, such as the last, toward the Park Service and their effort to increase protection and land for these majestic beasts often portrayed him more as an egomaniac than an environmentalist. His belief that he alone challenged the government, he becoming an American dissident, and Timothy conquered also supports the theory of him as an egomaniac.
The final question we will examine is what is man’s fit in nature? In nature men wear two hats, one of predominant predator, the other of protector. In Herzog’s film many believes we should be the predominant predator in order to keep the order of man and beast balanced in many areas. Researchers record that there are “about 35,000 brown grizzly bears here in Alaska…its very a healthy population, it’s a stable population…bears hunting, as an example, is a very important aspect of the economy, $4,500,000.00 a year is spent on bear hunts. On the protected Kodiak Island there are about 3,000 bears, each year we harvest about 160 of these, through our research, we found that you can harvest about 6% of that population annually and still have a health group of bears…poaching is not as big a concern around here” In other words, there was not real a cause for Treadwell, according to research annalist, the brown grizzly bears were not endanger and efforts were made to ensure the balance between man and beast.
The portrait of these “Majestic Creatures” in their natural habitat in Alaska Peninsula captured in Treadwell’s some one hundred hours of video footage was outstanding. The passion Herzog uses in the development of this footage displayed the affection Treadwell posses for these animals. This unique interaction between man and beast is astonishing. His message may not have been loud and clear. Some may question Treadwell methodology, his motive and the cause of his actions. It may not be evident that he was truly an environmentalist. Treadwell, a rebel, stated “even if a bear was to kill me, I do not want a bear to be killed” to demonstrate the love he held for these “Majestic Creatures”.