Month: March 2011

Timothy Treadwell was a self-taught grizzly bear expert, wildlife preservationist and documentary filmmaker. Treadwell lived unarmed among the bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Reserve for 13 summers and filmed his adventures in the wild during his final five seasons.

Timothy Treadwell first visited Alaska in the summer of 1989, when he camped and viewed grizzly bears at the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. The experience inspired Treadwell to dedicate himself to the protection of the bears and their habitat. By 1992, he was camping independently in Katmai National Park and Reserve, living among the bears as they converged at key salmon runs. During his first 10 years, Treadwell chronicled his experiences and observations in diaries. In 1997, Treadwell began to use a video camera to capture daily life in Katmai, as never previously done.

In October 2003, Treadwell’s remains, along with those of his girlfriend Amie Huguenard, were discovered near their campsite in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Reserve. They had been mauled and devoured by a grizzly, the first- known victims of a bear attack in the park.