Hubris of ‘Grizzly Man’ was too much to bear

I swear I am never going into the Maine woods again, unless I am in a Humvee. Sleep in the wilderness on the ground in a tent? I don’t think so.

Blue Eyes just dragged me off to “Grizzly Man,” a documentary on the life and grizzly (pun intended) death of Timothy Treadwell, who might have been a hero and might have been a fool.

One thing Treadwell did was take some of the most remarkable wildlife film footage you will ever see (hopefully) in your life.

In a cross between “Dances with Wolves” and “The Horse Whisperer,” Treadwell lived with grizzly bears in Alaska for 12 successful seasons. The 13th proved highly unlucky when a huge (are there any other kind?) bear killed and ate Treadwell and his companion Amie Huguenard on Oct. 6, 2003.

Treadwell had cameras to record his every move, some staged to give the indication that he was alone. One camera recorded the audio, but not the video of the deaths. Director Werner Herzog thankfully omitted that from the film.

The cameras record scenes with Treadwell sitting around within a few feet of the bears as they fish or walk through the wilderness. In one scene, he tells one of the enormous animals to leave and the bear actually walks away. He chooses a campsite between two fox dens. He becomes so close to the foxes that they follow him through the woods like dogs.

Where others saw chaos and brutality in the wilderness, Treadwell associate Louisa Willcox said he saw “harmony and love where human beings are the primary force of destruction.”

“Was he more a showman, a wannabee actor playing more for the camera than for the conservation of grizzly bears? Was he a “bear whisperer” and if so, how did his luck run out? If not, how did he survive up there for so long? Did Timothy become over the years mentally unstable, even perhaps delusional? Was he courageous, suicidal, or both?” Willcox asks herself and us.

Treadwell had extreme contradictions.

He was a gentle showman appearing on the “Late Show with David Letterman” and supposedly just missing the role of “Woody” on the television show “Cheers.” For a veteran woodsman, Treadwell spent an inordinate amount of time worrying about his hair for the camera. He slept with a (stuffed) teddy bear in his tent. Some bloggers criticized his baby talk to bears. One said he sounded like a demented Mr. Rogers.

But Treadwell went off on several foul-mouthed diatribes about state game officials who interfered with his work. One wildlife official said Treadwell did more harm than good by teaching his beloved bears to trust, not fear, human beings.

Any notion that these gigantic animals are really just cuddly friends sharing our planet disappeared when it was explained that grizzly males often eat their young when the cubs interfere with winter sex life.

They found most of Treadwell inside the bear, along with his companion. One of the few pieces left after the attack was his arm, with his wrist watch, still ticking. It was reported that Treadwell stayed too long at the site. “His” bears left to hibernate and new bears, unfamiliar with the “bear whisperer,” moved in.

He told the camera: “If I don’t come back, at least I died doing what I wanted to do.”

Treadwell didn’t believe in guns and had no recourse when the grizzly struck in the middle of the night.

I have never owned a gun. But if I was going to spend a few weeks with the grizzlies in Alaska, sleeping in a tent, I would have an elephant gun, maybe a howitzer, just in case. I may get one just for the trip to Graves Market, just in case any grizzlies are hanging around.

I’m no bear whisperer.

Send complaints and compliments

to Emmet Meara at emmetmeara@msn.com.