Timothy Treadwell (April 29, 1957 – October 5, 2003), born Timothy Dexter, was an environmentalist and bear enthusiast who lived among the Coastal brown bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska for approximately 13 seasons. At the end of his thirteenth season in the park in 2003, he and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard (age 37) were killed and partially eaten by a brown bear. The attack was notable because of the unusual lifestyle of the victims, and the survival of an audio recording of the attack. Treadwell's life, work, and death were the subject of the 2005 documentary film, Grizzly Man.
In October 2003, Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, visited Katmai National Park in Alaska. Treadwell, who never carried any means of defense against bear attacks, chose to set his campsite near a salmon stream where bears commonly feed in the fall. Treadwell was in the park later in the year than usual, at a time when bears fight to gain as much fat as possible before winter, and limited food supplies cause them to be more aggressive than in other months.
On October 6, 2003, Treadwell and Huguenard’s bodies were discovered by the Kodiak air taxi pilot who arrived at their campsite to retrieve them from their trip. A large elderly male bear protecting the campsite was killed by park rangers while they attempted to retrieve the bodies. A second adolescent bear was killed a short time later after it charged the park rangers. A necropsy showed that the first animal had consumed parts of the couples' remains. This bear is not believed to be one of the bears Treadwell usually encountered, though this point is disputed.
A video camera, with the lens cap in place, was recovered at the site. The video camera had been turned on at some point during the fatal attack, presumably by Huguenard, but the camera only recorded six minutes of audio before running out of tape. Treadwell's head, partial backbone, and left forearm/hand still wearing his wrist watch were recovered at the scene. Huguenard's partial body was found near the encampment somewhat buried in a mound of twigs and dirt.
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