Bear lover tempted fate

By JOAN HAINES, For the Chronicle

Teller of tall bear tales, photographer, author, lover of giant wild grizzlies -- that was the Timothy Treadwell who Bozeman-area bear enthusiasts remembered Thursday.

But he also may have been a man who tempted fate too many times.

Treadwell, who spent 12 summers living with grizzlies in Katmai National Park and Preserve on Alaska's coast, was killed by bears in Katmai recently.

State troopers found the 46-year-old's remains on Monday, along with those of Annie Huguenard, 37, and a six-minute audiotape of Treadwell's screams during the attack.

But the reactions to his death among others who work on grizzly bear issues were decidedly mixed.

The two "were doing their earthly best to help preserve grizzlies wherever they lived," said Doug Peacock of Livingston, author of the book, "Grizzly Years." "My heart really goes out to their families."

But photographer and author Tom Murphy of Livingston said he wasn't surprised when he heard about Treadwell's death.

"Although grizzly bears try to stay away from people, you're tempting disaster by going up and petting them," Murphy said. "They're wild creatures. Many of them will tolerate a great deal off unusual behavior, but there are some that won't. He found two that wouldn't."

The most tragic aspect was that "two bears had to die," he said.

"They were just being bears," Murphy said. "If you invade their space in a way they don't know how to respond, eventually you'll get one who will bite you."

Lawyer Doug Honnold of Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund warned others against judging Treadwell before all the facts are in. The bear that attacked Treadwell may have been a hungry, transient animal that didn't know him.

"They're heaping blame on Timothy," Honnold said. "Now is the time to honor him."

Louisa Willcox, Wild Bears project director for the Natural Resource Defense Council, agreed.

"I'm disappointed about how Timothy is being remembered," she said. "It's more about the gory details than about the spirit of how he lived and his larger purpose in life. If you had seen his photos or videos, you look through his eyes into the soul of a bear."

Treadwell came to Bozeman several times to talk about the bears. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition sponsored three visits, during which he showed his photos and spoke to school children.

Treadwell was "a good friend who cared more than anyone I know about the future of grizzly bears and their habitat," said Tim Stevens, GYC's bear specialist. "As an individual, he made a tremendous difference in winning people over to support the protection of bears."

Treadwell's "real effort was to show that bears aren't dangerous," said Chuck Bartelbaugh of Missoula, facilitator of the "Be Bear Aware" campaign. "But when mixed with inappropriate human actions, the situation becomes dangerous.

"We're creating enthusiasm about the animals, but not establishing a sense of individual responsibility or an understanding of wildlife stewardship," he said.

Katmai's superintendent, Deb Liggett, told the Anchorage Daily News that the last time she saw Treadwell she lectured him.

"I told him to be safe out there and that none of my staff would ever forgive him if they had to kill a bear because of him," Liggett said. "I kind of had a heart-to-heart with him. I told him he was teaching the wrong message."

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