Treadwell Controversy

Timothy Treadwell, aka the Grizzly Man, aspired to live as a spirit within the wilderness. By forming a connection with the defenseless, easily manipulated grizzly bears, he could mutually mutate into the wild animal; or so he thought at least. Treadwell had the mindset that if he died, doing what he loved so dearly, his message would be better put across for the entire world to understand. His perspective on the natural world and the animals within it was a delicate one. He saw no boundary between humans and the natural world; he thought humans could live within nature, without interrupting it and all of its inhabitants; there would be no repercussions, one would be safe and sound. The implication that human beings were under threat and in danger amongst wild animals held no bearing to Timothy Treadwell as he lived in nature everyday, invading the place where these wild animals roam Freely. He believed in his connection with these grizzly bears and even a couple of foxes so much, that he had names for them; almost as if they were his pets, or maybe even his friends.

Herzog, the narrator of Timothy Treadwell's documentary, thought Treadwell "got what he deserved" as he was invading the natural world. Losing sight of how disrespectful he was truly being, implementing a discourtesy to the grizzly bears and what they represent. According to Herzog, Treadwell seemed to ignore the fact that there are predators within nature. It was the narrator's perspective that the true common denominator of the natural world is chaos, hostility , and murder. Treadwell could never have the heart to see this, to grasp it. When the invasion of wilderness was not enough for him, Treadwell evoked to a higher power. Treadwell thought as if God would be so proud of him for being "one of them" (the bears.) He was so thankful for the animals, they gave him a life, one that was worth living. Herzog viewed Timothy's separation from human civilization Treadwell's way of escaping from reality- it was a metaphor to his lonesomeness.

Although Treadwell and Herzog's perspectives on the boundary between humans and the natural world were distinctively different, Timothy Treadwell's death was a tragic one. I do not believe he "deserved it" however, I do believe it could easily have been avoided. Nature is beautiful, and should be respected. But, there is a fine line between respecting nature, walking through it and being amongst it peacefully, and tampering with it trying to manipulate the neutrality of the animals within their own habitats.