Eating Alive By Grizzlies… Bipolar or Schizophrenic… You Are Still Just Meat. (974 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.74 on 36 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by ahumblefool (View user info) at 2006-01-04 13:49:59 EST
The wife and I had big plans for December 31st. The babysitter was all lined up, the clubs of Whistler were beckoning, we were all ready for a wild night, then my daughter got sick and we ended up spending the evening in the condo.
While we waited for the ball to drop, I walked over to the video store and rented Grizzly Man, the story of Treadwell who lived among grizzlies in Alaska. Now, I had read all the stories of his death when it hit the press, and I thought the guy was a total nut job, but let me say, once you watch the video, there is very little doubt that their was something wrong with him mentally. I do not feel sorry for him, nor do I mourn his loss, even though in his fucked up mind he was trying to protect an animal that was already protected on protected land. What I do find horrific is that he and his girlfriend were eating by a bear and that he taped the whole thing.
Now, the movie never lets you hear the tape, they describe it in detail, and if you allow your imagination to run, it sends chills down your spine. But, and I have let my mind roll over this for a few days, I just can not think of a more horrible way to die other than the skin from my body being peeled away rather slowly and being kept alive by IV's, okay, that is pretty sick. The fact that the tape rolled for six minutes before it ran out, that tells me that the death of these two people probably took from eight to twenty minutes depending on how fast the bear dispatched the two of them. I can not imagine the terror you would feel, the helplessness that would consume you as a bear bit into your leg or arm. In the movie, the narrator said that it sounded as if it had Treadwell's head in its jaws as he tried to tell his girlfriend to run. Picturing this makes my body go cold.
I know that there are others on this site that goes into the backcountry, but I can tell you from experience, bears are not to be trifled with. We are meat and meat only. We are not a kindred spirit nor are we part of their clan. Treadwell in his messed up mind, thought he could live as one with these creatures. What absolutely amazes me is he did it for 15 years. He approached these bears and petted them, swam with them even stood literal feet from them as they fought. In the movie it shows him standing his ground as a 10 foot tall grizzly bear charged him. He did not move, just told it to shoo. Stop it. Go away. The bear did.
Were the bears aware that he was mentally challenged and so they did not attack on that ground? How did he survive 15 years amongst some of the most viscous animals on the planet? Is it possible that he did make a connection in some way that allowed him to live that long? The guy was a nut, but the luckiest nut I have ever witnessed.
And, in the end, when he had forsaken community and people, did Treadwell go back to the bear maze late in the season to end it all, and in so doing become a murderer for bringing his girlfriend out to the most dangerous area of Alaska?
The movie affected me in the same way Jon Krakauer's book "Into the Wild," affected me. The final note the kid leaves attached to the bus ("Attention possible visitors. S.O.S. I need your help. I am injured and near death and too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone. This is no joke. In the name of God please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you.") causes me to wake in the middle of the night, and lay awake contemplating fate, and what we are, where we are, and what we are about.
User Reviews
Submitted by Orgasmatron (user info) at 2006-11-22 13:21:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
For God so loved the world, he gave us his one and only humblefool.
Submitted by SkinnyKenny (user info) at 2006-01-04 22:05:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:59:37 (#)
Ranking: 2
This book was awesome: Jon Krakauer "Into the Wild"
In all my outdoor trekking the biggest thing I have yet run across is a bobcat. I stayed well away from that guy and he only weighed all of thirty pounds. His five pointy ends couldn't have killed me, but he still would probably have whipped my ass.
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Last year in Supai, my nephew and I were exploring a side canyon and we came across a fresh bird kill. About that time, from under some dense scrub, I heard what kind of sounded like a rock falling, but more like a big cat making that coughing sound. We got outta there quidk.
Submitted by SkinnyKenny (user info) at 2006-01-04 22:00:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I heard about that documentary, and now I'll have to go rent it. It'll be kinda like "Faces of Death"
Just kidding. But what you wrote, "I know that there are others on this site that goes into the backcountry, but I can tell you from experience, bears are not to be trifled with. We are meat and meat only." is the God's honest truth. I grew up in the Smokey Mountains. I spent a lot of time in the backcountry of that park, as did my family for generations. Granted, the Black Bear has not the viscious demeanor of that of a Grizzly, but you still don't fuck around with them. For that matter, to any large carnivorous hunter, especially those of the feline kind, we are food.
Great post.
Submitted by garcon_fou (user info) at 2006-01-04 21:37:55 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I just saw the movie too. Of course he was accepted into the bear community - did you see the shots of him touching the bears? You don't make it as long as he did without being accepted.
Now just consider - Treadwell lived a pretty long time for a bear.
Submitted by ahumblefool (user info) at 2006-01-04 18:46:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by jagmcmanus (user info) at 2006-01-04 18:35:32 (#)
Ranking: 0
"Treadwell in his messed up mind, thought he could live as one with these creatures. What absolutely amazes me is he did it for 15 years."
SO did he or did he not live as one with them then?!?!?
If you get murdered by another human does that mean you have no connection to the human race?
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No, he thought he himself was becoming one with the bears, becoming a bear himself. I know I am human, and I know that humans can kill me. He thought the bears respected him, when in fact; they tolerated him, and then ate him. So one can say he "lived" with the bears but he never lived as "one" with them.
Submitted by jagmcmanus (user info) at 2006-01-04 18:35:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
"Treadwell in his messed up mind, thought he could live as one with these creatures. What absolutely amazes me is he did it for 15 years."
SO did he or did he not live as one with them then?!?!?
If you get murdered by another human does that mean you have no connection to the human race?
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2006-01-04 18:21:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by electrictoothsyndrome (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:49:17 (#)
Ranking: 2
Dealing with animals is all about the 6th sense and body language. Not posturing yourself as potential prey is always a good idea.
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Yeah man. I'm pretty sure that's what Treadwell thought too.
It appears to have worked out pretty well for him.
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2006-01-04 18:10:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Fuck me. Finally met someone else who read Into the Wild.
Imagining that poor kid right at the end is rough.
Great book.
Also, I've been meaning to rent that doc. Thanks for the recommendation.
Submitted by electrictoothsyndrome (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:49:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good post.
Dealing with animals is all about the 6th sense and body language. Not posturing yourself as potential prey is always a good idea.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:45:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I remember distinctly when that happened, it was chilling, very very chilling.
I also remember when I ran into a bear in Yosemite. It was not acting aggressive or anything so we stood and watched it for a while from a distance. I had this idea that if it came towards us I was going to run up and over a rock formation. While we were watching, the bear walked over that very formation like it was flat ground.
holy shit
Keep in mind that you don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the other people running from the bear.
Submitted by ahumblefool (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:32:29 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
ick on the keyboard!
Submitted by ahumblefool (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:32:03 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:05:47 (#)
Ranking: 2
Good stuff.
Just please learn the difference between "eaten" and "eating," and "vicious" and "viscous."
Thanks.
____________________
Shit. Hate when I do that, too q
Submitted by Mothyham (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:20:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
fuck treadwell.
he was doing a disservice to the animals by being there.
Also, lovingly fondling freash bear shit is scarier than being eaten by bears.
He got what he deserved. He was mentally retarded.
Submitted by Hammy_Bob (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:17:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Yeah, those damn bears are viscous. They never flow.
Submitted by Jeanneee (user info) at 2006-01-04 17:05:47 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Good stuff.
Just please learn the difference between "eaten" and "eating," and "vicious" and "viscous."
Thanks.
Submitted by Mike00295 (user info) at 2006-01-04 16:39:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Fuck bears.
Submitted by GodLovesALittleLovin (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:52:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by TigerLilly (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:56:33 (#)
Ranking: 2
You're always a good read.
Submitted by ahumblefool (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:46:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by MistressFist (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:36:43 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:29:11 (#)
Ranking: 2
And the ultimate irony? As the result of Treadwell's "I love bears and can communicate with them and will do everything to protect them" ego-maniacal fantasy and retarded behavior, two bears had to be killed for simply doing what comes naturally to them.
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Sad but true. We always forget that they were here first. People have little respect for nature.
___________________
Agreed
Submitted by MistressFist (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:36:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:29:11 (#)
Ranking: 2
And the ultimate irony? As the result of Treadwell's "I love bears and can communicate with them and will do everything to protect them" ego-maniacal fantasy and retarded behavior, two bears had to be killed for simply doing what comes naturally to them.
==========================
Sad but true. We always forget that they were here first. People have little respect for nature.
Submitted by cuberat (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:33:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Siren (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:30:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I'd rather be eaten by a bear than burried or burned alive.
Submitted by Pentameter (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:29:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This sounds fucked up...I want to see it now.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:29:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Into the Wild is a great book.
Timothy Treadwell was an idiot who got everything that was--predictably--coming to him. And he was an asshole for dragging his girlfriend into his delusional game and getting her killed.
And the ultimate irony? As the result of Treadwell's "I love bears and can communicate with them and will do everything to protect them" ego-maniacal fantasy and retarded behavior, two bears had to be killed for simply doing what comes naturally to them.
Submitted by HighVoltage900 (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:13:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Ah bears. Natures paradox.
"Oh look at you! You're such a cute little guy! I just wanna give you a big hug an....AHHH! I'm being eaten alive!"
I cannot tell you how many times I have yelled that out at a zoo.
Submitted by el_em_en_oh (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:12:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I woke up the other day in a cold-sweat at the thought of being eaten alive by Oprah.
STILL sends chills down my spine thinking about it.
Oh Oprah... why do you torment me so?!?
<Nicely written AHF>
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:10:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Hey, if you want wild bears eatin' your children and scarin' your
salmon, that's your business. But I'm not gonna take it! Who's with
me?
-- Homer Simpson
Much Apu About Nothing
______________
HA!
Submitted by Orgasmatron (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:03:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Death in the wild, either from an animal or from the elements, seems a particularly terrible way to go. Moreso with bears - or any large animal, really - because they're not looking to give you a quick, Roman death to minimize your suffering. They're just looking to eat.
Will they start with your face or heart? Nope.
Will you feel teeth rip into flesh, past bone, and claws rend limb from trunk? Oh yes.
It's terrible that the girlfriend had to suffer the same fate he did. At least he had an agenda and knew what he was getting into.
Submitted by ubetidid (user info) at 2006-01-04 14:00:04 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
it just so happens that I, too, watched this same video last weekend. I don't know if he was mentally unbalanced, but he was certainly eccentric. Frankly, I thought the coroner was a little odd, too. And I don't think Treadwell purposely filmed their deaths. I think they just happened to be filming when this bear was very hungry. Also, wasn't there some explanation in the film about it being a particularly bad year for the bears for getting food? Pretty amazing that these bears never attacked him in all those years. Does make me wonder why.
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:59:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Narrrrf!
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:59:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This book was awesome: Jon Krakauer "Into the Wild"
In all my outdoor trekking the biggest thing I have yet run across is a bobcat. I stayed well away from that guy and he only weighed all of thirty pounds. His five pointy ends couldn't have killed me, but he still would probably have whipped my ass.
That Treadwell was fucking nuts.
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:57:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I just soiled my pants in a deep sympathy.
Submitted by userpete86 (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:56:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
It could be that he did live as one with the bears... maybe the bear was just that hungry :)
Yup, not a good idea.
Submitted by TigerLilly (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:56:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
You're always a good read.
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:54:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
that's what need here (at uber)
homicidal bears.
everyone for say 'YAY'
everyone against 'NAY'
yay-nay, we'll sound like horses
and confuse them.
Submitted by MistressFist (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:54:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
These are scary ways to die.
Submitted by simple_catalyst (user info) at 2006-01-04 13:52:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
hmm...