The deaths of Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard,
ostensibly by grizzly mauling, were the stuff of sensational
headlines, especially on the heels of the mauling of tiger-trainer
Roy Horn in Las Vegas. It was predictable that the mainstream,
corporate media would have a field day.
We expected better
of High Country News. We were disappointed.
Mark
Matthews’ Writers on the Range column (HCN, 11/10/03: A
grizzly attack that was bound to happen) provided no mention of the
positives in Treadwell’s work. Matthews condemns Treadwell,
describing him as some superficial caricature of a man, comparing
his behavior to that of the narcissistic dudes and dudettes on
reality shows. This is highly inaccurate.
Treadwell for
years championed the preservation of large mammals, their habitats
and the wildlife corridors they require. Through personal
appearances and slide shows, television documentaries, and through
his book, Living With Grizzlies, Treadwell shared the magnificent
browns with the world.
In Living With Grizzlies, Treadwell
emphasized prudence, common sense and a reasoned approach defined
by the animals themselves. We came away from reading
Treadwell’s book with no message to behave irresponsibly
around grizzlies or any other wild animal. What we did come away
with was the story of one man’s love for a wild species and
his efforts to educate humans to the miracle they represent —
without the prejudice reflected by the media in the reporting of
Treadwell’s death.
Nancy Jacques,
Durango,
Colorado
Kathleene Parker,
Los Alamos, New
Mexico
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Treadwell was no new-ager.
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