Timothy Treadwell was an American environmentalist, bear enthusiast, and the founder of Grizzly People, an organization aimed to protect bears. Tragically, he and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard died a horrifying death in October 2003.
Disclaimer: The article contains mention of blood and gore. Reader discretion is advised.
For 13 years, Treadwell spent his summer camping out with Alaskan bears. He was a former heroin addict who loved spending his spare time with bears and even considered them as his friends. Furthermore, he was so attached to the animals that he gave them names and even petted them. Unfortunately, everything changed one day when he crossed paths with a 28-year-old, 1,000-pound beast.
On October 5, 2003, a ‘meanest looking bear’ attacked, killed, and almost fully ate the couple. Air taxi pilot Willy Fulton quickly knew what underwent in his absence and what he saw upon landing at Katmai National Park horrified him. Fulton saw the killer bear sitting on top of a pile of human remains and devouring a human ribcage. Furthermore, the deceased couple’s evening snack remained untouched and their shoes were also lying nearby.
This infamous incident was made into a documentary in 2005, which was titled Grizzly Man. According to Rotten Tomatoes, its synopsis reads, “Pieced together from Timothy Treadwell’s actual video footage, Werner Herzog’s remarkable documentary examines the calling that drove Treadwell to live among a tribe of wild grizzly bears on an Alaskan reserve. A devoted conservationist with a passion for adventure, Timothy believed he had bridged the gap between humans and the beasts. When one of the bears he loved and protected tragically turns on him, the footage he shot serves as a window into our understanding of nature and its grim realities.”
How old was Timothy Treadwell at the time of his death?
At the time of his death, Timothy Treadwell was 46 years old. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard was 37 years old. According to The Guardian, after officials shot the bear, they recovered a huge amount of human remains from its stomach. Reports suggest that the animal was old and had broken teeth, hence, it could not feed that season. In addition, the whole attack was captured on the video camera in Timothy Treadwell’s tent.
According to CBS News, the program director of Grizzly People, Jewel Palovak, was one of the last people to talk to Treadwell. Interestingly, she appeared on The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen and spoke about his final conversation with his friend. She stated, “He mentioned to me that he had not seen his favorite bear, Downey. And he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t – if he didn’t try and go back and find her. He also knew there was a big salmon run and that would mean that there were more bears there and more chance to get footage for our educational campaign.”
Palovak further stated, “I spoke to him Sunday. He told me it was the best decision he had ever made. He was thrilled to have gotten to see her and he was happy that he did what his heart told him to do.”
The state medical examiner’s office performed the autopsies of Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard. Furthermore, the couple’s death was the first known bear killings at Katmai National Park.
