The Grizzly Man Diaries

Timothy was eccentric, however putting that aside he captured some of the most amazing footage on these majestic animals along with a time line of their survival. He took risk just as any other wildlife and nature photographer has. The only difference was he did it alone. He didn't have a camera crew or anyone to protect him against the animals. With that said his girlfriend knew those risks as well and was a willing participant in his work. Wildlife is unpredictable as is Nature. What Timothy did was just as risky as all the people who died trying to reach top of Everest. They wanted to connect with nature in a way that could take their life and it did. Timothy's documentaries were amazing in it's art form. They were raw and untainted. They were educational, inspirational, and ended up tragic in the worst way. I have watched these over and over enjoying them each time just as I would as if it was a National Geographic documentary.

The photos and videos Treadwell took were awesome. However, I agree that him getting that close to these bears acclimates them to human beings, and therefore can cause these bears to get into trouble possibly causing them to be destroyed in cases where someone gets mauled or if they are viewed as a nuisance bear. Same with the foxes. These animals need to be afraid of humans, humans are harmful to wildlife, not all humans care, in fact, most don't care. A fox or bear, or any other animal, that is unafraid of humans could get too close and humans with their stupidity could poison them as pests, or just kill them for the hell of it. Bears who get too close to humans end up getting into trash, break into buildings/barns in their search for food, can become nuisance bears, and pay for some human's stupidity with their life.

These animals are to be respected and admired for sure, but we must keep our boundaries, for their sake and survival. I think Treadwell really loved these animals, for sure. But wild animals are unpredictable and he got too close and it was inevitable that he would eventually get hurt. When watching the Grizzly Man Diaries, he seems to think and behave the way a child would view these animals, he is not realistic at all. I am a total nature lover, but when you get this close to these animals, and they lose their fear of humans, you are not doing them any good. Wild animals do not distinguish between Treadwell and some hunter or camper. A man is a man. Bears pay for this with their lives when they get too close to humans, and Treadwell is conditioning these bears and the fox family to not fear humans and setting them up for disaster. He reminds me of the way I thought of animals when I was a child. I too fantasized about being Dr. Dolittle talking to the animals and being their guardian. I think we could be a better guardian by letting them alone, admiring them from afar, and by giving them plenty of habitat in which to live.

I really enjoyed these documantaries, which show the amazing footage, close shots and animal behaviors of bears, weasels and foxes, to name a few.

It is a shame that Herzog's "Grizzly Man" came out two years prior. After watching that, i was ready to hate Treadwell.

Was Treadwell imbalanced? Certainly. But often the imbalanced are gifted in extrordinary ways. And sometimes they are driven to share this with the world. Does Van Gogh's missing ear or eventual suicide make his art any less beautiful? I think not.

As another review pointed out, we were living in a dangerous time of "copycat antics" and the like. I think there was a great deal of concern that people would try to emulate him, so "they" srongly emphasized the idea of, "he was an idiot". I think Timothy Treadwell was imbalanced, but not an idiot. I think anyone else who tried to do what he did would be just as imbalanced for thinking they could. Mr. Treadwell had a dream, and he lived it. And he shared it with us. It is terribly tragic that things turned out the way they did (especially for Amie Hugeunard) but I cannot control (and do not want to emulate) his story, just benefit from it.

I am as torn on this series as about anything I could ever write. It must be some of the most beautiful nature photography ever taken. Tredwell's love of the animals is not in question, even when overshadowed by his massive ego and self obsession.

At some point into one of the episodes, Tredwell says "we could go a little wider here." Obviously giving camera instructions to his girl friend Ami. The film then lies as says She joined him later. Tredwell, as it has been well documented, dragged his girlfriend into his death wish and got her killed. He was guilty of manslaughter, maybe murder.

There is a lot of other things to dislike about Tredwell. Some, though not all of this, is in the great movie "Grizzly Man." To con people into paying for his trips, he lied about poaching in Alaska and claimed he was "protecting" already protected lands. His goofy, baby talk fashion of talking to the animals won't be to everyone's taste.

But again, you can't argue with what he brought back; and in the long run the work of this pixie egomaniac may indeed serve the Wildlife.