I don’t know how many of you have watched this series on Animal Planet, but I found it strangely fascinating. It’s kind of like going by a traffic accident that you don’t want to see, but you can’t make yourself look away.
I came onto the scene of this show late in the season. I only got to watch two episodes, and the second one I saw was the last one.
It chronicles the life of Timothy Treadwell, who started a seasonal expedition at Katmai National Park in Alaska, to observe the grizzly bear in the wild. It started in 1990 and ended on October 5th 2003.
While watching the self-filmed and hand written diary of his life with the bears, (and the foxes) I was torn by my response to him. On one hand he seemed very sincere, but on the other hand he seemed almost like a character from a cartoon or a sit-com. Honestly, he reminded me of “Stewart” from Mad TV, the child played by Michael McDonald (which is somewhat unnerving given that he is living among grizzlies). I mean no disrespect, but there was something very odd about him. In the episode with the foxes, he kept expressing over and over to them in a very child-like voice, that he loved them, and thanked them for letting him be in their lives.
It would have been more than a little creepy if it didn’t seem so heartfelt. It just felt awkward. I don’t even know how to describe it: sincere, but a little creepy even so.
Timothy would frequently try to interact with the wild creatures he was filming. Not something I would expect to see.
You can watch some people do the “nature” thing and know that they are totally capable, and able to handle whatever comes along. That they are doing it the right way and are being as safe as possible. Timothy did not strike me as one of those people. The whole thing made me feel uneasy - like he had no business being out there.
His girlfriend decided to join him in Alaska in October of 2003. His last entry on October 5th 2003, stated that he was ending his expedition, and going home.
On October 6th, 2003, the dismembered bodies of Timothy and his girlfriend Amie were found. Their lives were lost to the grizzlies.
The irony of it gave me chills. He had survived 13 seasons in the wild with the grizzlies and the day before he planned to go home, they killed him. I don’t even know what to say. Whether to recommend this series or not. I just know that I had to watch it - HAVE to watch it. They are still airing the show, and I will continue to watch, even though I find it unsettling. Maybe I’m just hoping to make some sort of sense of the whole ghastly story.
If you’ve watched it, let me know what YOU think. I’m hoping I’m not alone out here.
