I think part of the explanation here was that both people were from Malibu, CA. As such, they had NO place in AK, dude.
Yup, Darwin's ideas were definitely playing out here.
This guy's arrogance prevented him from carrying a large bore handgun, 'just in case.' Poor fools.
http://www.yellowstone-bearman.com/Tim_Treadwell.html
Excerpt:
"... At 4:26 pm the team arrive at the lake, and ranger Ellis conducts a quick interview with Willy Fulton. Willy states that he "could not be 100% sure, but was confident that something was wrong". (Ellis 2003, pg 2)
Willy advises the rangers that there is only room for one plane to park near the camp and climbs into the park service Cessna for the quick taxi to the south shore. As they approach the area, ranger pilot Gilliland spots a large adult bear near the top of the hill where the campsite is supposedly located.
After exiting the plane, the four begin slowly hiking up the path from the lake, yelling as they walk to help locate any surviving victims, and to alert any nearby bears of their presence. Ranger Ellis states that "the visibility was poor with a heavy growth of bushes and tall grass, the camp was located on top of a ridge and out of our sight. We had radio contact with Alaska State Troopers Hill and Jones", who were forced to park their plane 300 meters away and had to hike through the thick brush, "so we elected to wait at the base of the hill until Troopers Hill and Jones could catch up".
Ranger Ellis was standing with ranger Gilliland and Willy Fulton to his left. Ranger Dalrymple was slightly ahead of Gilliland when Gilliland suddenly yells, Bear! while pointing to the right. Ranger Ellis states that he turned and "saw an adult bear moving toward the group about 20 feet away". All four begin yelling in hopes that the bear would see them and move away. Ranger Ellis then states that he "perceived that the bear was well aware of their presence and was stalking them". Ranger Ellis, armed with a 40 cal. handgun begins to fire at about the same time rangers Gilliland and Dalrymple, who were each armed with 12 gauge shotguns loaded with slugs also begin to shoot at the bear.
Ranger Ellis fires 11 times while rangers Gilliland and Dalrymple each fire 5 times, dropping the bear 12 feet away. "That was cutting it thin" stated Ellis. After about 10 seconds the bear dies and Willy Fulton then reportedly says "I want to look that bear in the eyes" and states that he is sure that this was the bear that chased him back to his plane earlier. (Ellis 2003, pg 3)
Human remains were then found buried by a bear near the campsite, which was in a brushy area with poor visibility.
Two tents were discovered, one for gear and the main tent used for sleeping. Both were collapsed and torn, however there was no evidence that the bear had pulled the victims from the main tent. In front of this main tent was a large mound of mud, grass and sticks, five feet long, 4 foot wide, and 3 feet high. After moving a clump of dirt, ranger Ellis later recalled seeing "fingers and an arm protruding from the pile". (Ellis 2003, pg 4. Gilliland 2003, pg 10)
Food was found in the camp secured in 4 or 5 metal bear proof canisters, as well as open snack food found untouched inside the sleeping tent. Both Tim and Amie's shoes were also found neatly still in place at the entrance to the main tent.
Rangers Ellis and Dalrymple then hike back down the path to retrieve cameras from the plane. Ranger Gilliland states that he was "standing at the top of the knoll about 10 feet from the mound" containing Amie, looking around when he spots a large bear about 15 feet away walking up the same trail they had just hiked up, and the same trail that rangers Ellis and Dalrymple had just walked down. After yelling Bear! The two troopers, who had arrived at this point, as well as Willy Fulton, begin yelling at the bear "to get out!". The bear hesitates for about 2 seconds before turning and walking back down the trail to the lake. (Gilliland 2003, pg 10)
Meanwhile, ranger's Dalrymple and Ellis, having just reached the plane and out of ear shot of the activity unfolding back at camp, spot a large adult bear moving down the trail from the camp. The two climb onto the plane's float and yell as the bear continues to move away. Because the bear did not appear to be acting aggressively, the rangers allowed it to move off. (Ellis 2003, pg 4)
Investigators combing the nearby area around the campsite discover what was left of Timothy Treadwell. "His head connected to a small piece of (spine}", and what has been described as a frozen grimace on his face. "His right arm and hand laying nearby with his wrist watch still attached". (Fulton 2004, Ellis 2003, pg 5)
Meanwhile, searchers excavating the bear's cache back in camp discover Amie Huguenard, who's arm and fingers had been exposed to the daylight when investigators first entered the camp. Appearing as though she were peacefully asleep except that her body, like Tim's, had been mostly eaten by the bear. (Ellis 2003, pg 5)
Later, as the helicopter was being loaded, a second smaller bear approximately 3 years old seemed to be stalking the rangers and it was shot and killed as well.
Ranger Ellis states that he "saw a bear about 30 feet away". Ranger Gilliland fires a warning shot into the air, however the bear did not react. "This bear was intermittently visible as it moved through the brush and tall grass. We were yelling and the bear was looking right at us."
As the bear continued to move towards the group ranger Ellis fires a shotgun, while trooper Hill and ranger Gilliland also begin firing at the bear. "The bear dropped but continued to move. Ranger Gilliland moved in and fired a final shot" killing the bear, states Ellis. (Ellis 2003, pg 5)
Video and still camera equipment, also found at the site, were later analyzed by Alaska State Troopers where it was discovered that the last remaining 6 minutes of video tape, which was found still in the camera bag, had captured the sounds of the attack.
The first sounds from the tape are from Amie, "she sounds surprised and asks if it's still out there". Apparently either Tim had asked Amie to turn the camera on, or Amie just turned it on out of reflex. (I don't believe this latter scenario took place for one minute which I will discuss in detail below). At any rate, the attack was in progress when the camera was turned on.
The next voice is from Timothy as he screams "Get out here! I'm getting killed out here!" (Tim was wearing a remote microphone on his coverall's). The sound of a tent zipper is then heard and the tent flap opening. Amie is heard screaming over the background sounds of rain hitting the tent, the wind, and other storm sounds all mixed in with the bear and Tim fighting to "Play dead!" Seconds pass before Amie yells again to "Play dead!" (Van Daele 2004)
Not surprisingly, with Amie yelling and screaming nearby, this seems to work and the bear breaks off the attack. (more on this below) A short conversation ensues as Amie and Tim try and determine if the bear is really gone. Being trained as a physician's assistant, it is believed that Amie made her way to Tim, and from the sounds caught on tape, the bear returns and Amie is forced to back off. Tim then is clearly heard screaming that playing dead isn't working and begs her to "hit the bear!" ( Van Daele 2005, Fallico 2004)
The sound of rain hitting the tent, along with wind muffle the sounds at this point. However, Amie is clearly heard yelling to "Fight back!" She is then heard screaming "Stop! Go Away! or possibly Run Away!" as the sound of "a frying pan is used to beat the top of the bears head and the sound of Tim moaning. (Fallico 2004)
It is believed that at this point in the attack, the bear let go of Tim's head which the bear had in it's mouth, and grabbed him somewhere in the upper leg area. The sound of Amie screaming very loudly, as Tim is clearly heard over the sounds of the storm, saying "Amie get away, get away, go away". Tim knew he was going to die at this point and wanted to save Amie from the same fate. (Herzog, Fallico 2004)
Amie did not go away.
The audio portion of this video tape lasts roughly 6 minutes. During this period, Tim's cries and pleadings can be heard for two-thirds of that time. He did not die quickly, unlike some traumatic death victims who were lucky enough to drift off into a shock induced dream state. Tim was obviously very aware and struggling desperately to survive during the last moments of his life.
Unlike what is portrayed in the movies, the bear is nearly silent. Only low growls and periodic grunts are heard which only adds to the horror of the scene. Sounds of the bear dragging Tim off, and the fading sounds of his scream's indicate that Tim is being pulled and dragged into the brush and away from camp.
As the tape comes to an end, the sounds of Amie's high-pitched screams rise to a new level, much like what has been described as "the sound of a predator call used by hunters to produce the distress cries of a small wounded animal which often attracts bears". Biologist Larry Van Daele, for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game theorizes that Amie's screams "may have prompted the bear to return and kill her." ( Van Daele 2004 )
We can only envision the horror of what Amie had witnessed and heard. Hysterical and "paralyzed with fear, standing just outside of the tent until the bear returned and attacked her". (I'm not convinced of this. More on this below too) (Readers Digest 2005)
On Friday, October 8, 2003, two days after investigators first arrived and killed the two bears, a necropsy of the larger bear was conducted at the scene by biologist Larry Van Daele, where it was learned the stomach and digestive tract contained human remains and torn pieces of clothing. Four garbage bags containing human remains were removed and flown out by helicopter. (Egli 2004) The smaller younger bear had been eaten by other bears before the multi-agency team could return and only the head remained, so no determination could be made as to whether this young bear played any part in the deaths or the consumption of the victims."
