Timothy Treadwell, 46, believed he had formed a special bond with Alaska’s most feared predators – but his belief would cost him and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard their lives in Katmai National Park
Jude Jones and Jane Lavender Associate Editor
04:00, 02 Mar 2026
Timothy Treadwell and girlfriend Arnie Huguenard(Image: Imagenet)
A daring wildlife enthusiast and his girlfriend met a horrific end, screaming for help as they were brutally mauled by a ravenous grizzly bear, leaving behind a gruesome scene of dismembered body parts and what has been described as the “worst recording ever made”.
Timothy Treadwell, 46, was convinced he had established a unique connection with Alaska’s most formidable predators. For 13 consecutive summers, he lived with grizzly bears in Katmai National Park, assigning them names and communicating with them, despite numerous warnings about these perilous creatures.
In October 2003, this conviction would prove fatal for him and his partner, Amie Huguenard.
The pair had lingered into the season, setting up their tent near Kaflia Bay as autumn descended and sustenance dwindled for the local beasts.
They were awaiting a seaplane to transport them back home when the horror unfolded, reports the Mirror.
Tim often spent time close to bears(Image: Lionsgate)
Inside their tent, whilst rain battered the exterior, the couple were preparing a bite to eat. A grizzly bear, presumably attracted by the scent of food, approached.
It’s thought that Treadwell hit record on a videotape to capture the incident, but the resulting audio was deemed too distressing to ever be publicised.
Alaska state troopers who listened to the tape reported hearing Treadwell scream, “get out of here, I’m getting killed.”
His terrified girlfriend pleaded with him to play dead, then implored him to fight back.
Moments later, Amie herself fell victim to the attack.
“You can hear him screaming,” later recounted state trooper Chris Hill.
He camped near them every year(Image: Lionsgate)
“She’s screaming, ‘Is the bear still there?’ He says something to the effect that he’s dying. We really didn’t hear the bear at all.”
The audio recording was so chilling that renowned director Werner Herzog, who utilised Treadwell’s footage in his highly praised 2005 documentary Grizzly Man, declined to include even a moment of it.
“You must never listen to this,” Herzog advised Treadwell’s ex-partner and close friend Jewel Palovak after hearing a portion of the tape. She ultimately destroyed it, smashing it with a hammer and slicing it up with a knife.
“It felt freeing,” she expressed. “Very freeing.”
When park rangers arrived at the campsite the following day, they were confronted with a scene of devastation. The duo’s tents had been shredded, with shoes still neatly arranged at the entrance.
Tim loved the outdoors(Image: Lionsgate)
Nearby lay a pile of mud, grass and human limbs.
Investigators discovered what remained of Treadwell’s head, still connected to his spine, and severed limbs. Four bin bags of human remains were subsequently retrieved from the stomach of a 28-year-old male grizzly weighing nearly 1,000lb.
The elderly bear, having difficulty feeding due to broken teeth, was shot dead after charging at officers.
Officials deduced that Treadwell’s long-standing practice of camping in prime feeding areas and allowing bears to come within feet of him likely played a part in the deadly attack.
Palovak, who established the grassroots organisation Grizzly People alongside Treadwell, insisted: “He didn’t have a death wish. He wasn’t stupid. He knew the dangers. He didn’t want to die.”
A recovering drug addict, Treadwell attributed his survival and path to sobriety to the bears themselves.
He was passionate about spending time with the creatures, documented them relentlessly, delivered talks to schoolchildren about the wild animals and viewed himself as a guardian of the bears, which he believed faced danger from hunters and human encroachment.
“His goal was to show people the secret life of grizzly bears,” Palovak explained, “to inspire children to fight for what they believe in, no matter how big the challenge.
“He always told me, ‘If I die, make a kick-ass movie.’ I was like, ‘Oh sure, I’ll do that’.
“But that’s actually what ended up happening … I think [ Grizzly Man ] would have been the kick-ass movie that he wanted.”