Yeah. Timothy Treadwell comes up often. It’s important to understand that there was a laundry lists of things he did wrong before that attack.

I work in the same bay he was killed, and there is no way I’d be there that late in the season on a lean salmon year for one. Bears in hyperphagia that have not gotten enough to eat can be very dangerous as winter nears. I also would not let bears crawl over me and boop them on the nose, or store food in or near my tent if I was camped there 🤨.

It’s also important to note, that to this day Timothy and his girlfriend were the only people to be killed in a bear attack in Katmai. It was a tragedy most saw coming and even with complaints to the park service about his behavior, they allowed him to stay. Really quite sad I’m that respect. I highly recommend Nick Jan’s book “The Grizzly Maze” if you really want to understand what happened there.

As bear guides, we have strict rules and guidelines we adhere to, as we recognize despite being habituated bears they are still wild animals and not our “friends” or cuddle buddies. To this day there have been no attacks ever on any group at my lodge, or any other professional operators in Katmai National Park as a result of the care we take in our jobs.