Lessons from the Grizzly Man

Last weekend I watched the documentary on the Discovery Channel called "Grizzly Man". It documents the thriteen summers Timothy Treadwell spent out living in the Alaskan wildlife preserve with Grizzly Bears up to his death in 2003. I recomend this film for the simple fact that Tredwell managed to capture some spectacular footage of the wildlife in Alaska as well as some great scenic views of Alaska.

The human aspect of this movie, Tredwell, however, appears to be a complicated man. His dynamic alone is a bit of an enigma. I did not doubt his affection for the bears but he at times seems naive. For example in one scene he is sitting beside a dead fox and mourning. He crying about the cruelty of life which suprized me because being an ecologist I would assume he has an understanding it as being nature's way. In an other scenes he gets full of rage as he spews a tirade about the unfairness of the local park service and the pouching problem. His behavior borders on manic at times, but then I wonder who wouldn't be after living in that much solitude of the Grizzly Maze.

This leads me to consider what the "Grizzly Man" has taught me:

1) That which is in nature and is free is meant to be in nature and remain free.

2) If you don't respect nature, it's not going to repect you. And when nature doesn't repect you, it will hunt you down and kill you.

3) Grizzly Bears = 500-1,500 lbs and brains operate on instinct.....I'm not saying they are big and dumb, but naming them, petting them and saying "I love you" over and over again is not going to change the fact that you are looking pretty tasty when there is a drought and a food shortage.

4) When all alone in the Grizzly Maze, even grown men need teddy bears.

5) Would the Crocodile Hunter measure up in the wilds of Alaska?

Perhaps Tredwell's death at the hand or rather the paw of his obsession was inevitable. If anything, he did accomplish his ultimate goal which was to bring about more awareness for these treasures in the Alaska wild.