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This was a documentary on the Discovery Channel. It happened to be on after a show I was listening to while cleaning. I never intended to watch the entire thing. After the first few minutes, it got the best of me & I stayed up way too late just to watch it.
If any of you did watch it, what did you think?
At the same time I think this guy was unbelievably foolish for how he behaved with the bears, I really found myself admiring him for what he was trying to accomplish.
It's on again tonight, in case you missed it.
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I caught a few minutes before the unbearable urge to drop in a DVD overcame me..
Admiration for what he was trying to accomplish AND thinking he was a damn fool for playing with bears are not mutually exclusive.
I might tivo it...
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yeah, tivo it. It was quite a story...and very LOOOOONG. It was certainly an interesting glimpse into this guy's psyche.
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Admiration for what? As one native of the area that this narcissistic fool failed actor was hanging around in said "what's the big deal about this white guy living amongst the bears part time for 15 years? we've been living amongst the bears for thousands of years, it's just that we know enough not to get into each other's way".
Exactly what was this guy accomplishing? He's a failed actor who needed a gimmick to become famous and this was his way.
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It was a great story Snakey, I have it recorded if you need to see it again.
BGnR
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guitarman - admiration for the fact that, in his mind, he was helping to protect the bears. Like I said, I felt he was incredibly foolish in his methodology.
Let's put it this way, it's pretty much the same way I feel about people who try to protect snakes. There are foolish people who would handle rattlesnakes with their bear hands, thinking they could somehow keep such wild animals from killing them. There are others who take a more sane & scientific approach - handling the snakes with snake hooks. Both of these types of people have the same goal - to help the animals they're studying.
What's not to admire?
This guy did something he felt was worth dying over - touching and "befriending" wild animals. It's not something I particularly agree with, but it was what he wanted...and for 10+ years, he succeeded. And even though he died, he left behind some incredible footage & photos. Quite a legacy, IMO (even if the guy had a couple of screws loose).
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BGnR, thanks for the offer. My parents only have over the air channels & I bet this is something my mom would love to watch.
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This is a great story about a self absorbed person who had a strong and tragic need for attention. Bittered by not making it as an actor in LA...found a nich where he could become famous.
This guy was a self anointed "hero" in an area that was a reserve for these animals. The locals clearly stated that poaching was not a big problem in this area. Sure, there are always going to be morons who throw things at animals..as depicted in the film, He didn't do a damn thing about that.
the guy was constantly heaping praise on himself in the most irritating, self absorbed and egotistical way...."Grizzly 2004 and im here saving these animals, im the only one doing this...fk all the other people with cameras, fk the rangers trying to kick me out, fk em, fk em"
tragic and sad and he got perhaps, what he wanted, or, what he deserved.
Man putting his hand into places that doesn't need to be...the foxes were cute, but hey, he was disrupting an ecosystem and shouldn't have been there inflicting himself on these animals.
Also, his unwillingness to leave caused the death of his "girlfriend" at the time...she didnt want to stay in the moments just before this rogue bear ate them. They had actually left and HE decided that they HAD to go back.
I felt extremely uncomfortable watching this arrogant person's antics and borish behaviour. My kids watched this with me ( we rented it a coupld of weeks ago) and their reaction was exactly the same...they couldn't watch him after awhile because it was embarrassing to actually believe that this person was trying to foist himself off as a scientific mind or a conservationist...he was out for fame.
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Don't get me wrong. The documentary itself was brilliant. But it wasn't his product. It was the director's work that made this so compelling to watch.
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Did you watch the documentary, Kraniac?
They certainly didn't gloss over the fact he was self absorbed.
But, what ALSO wasn't glossed over was that he truly cared about the bears. & I think that's the point being missed.
Yeah, he bucked conventional protocol on how to interact with wildlife, paid the price, etc. but he did accomplish something. Like I said, the footage & photographs they showed were really incredible. That's quite a legacy in itself.
More importantly, though, the message I got out of it (and which is something that's largely missing in our society) is that wildlife is something that should be respected and preserved...rather than indiscriminately killed just because we fear it.
About poaching - the documentary did mention that controversy. The year after he was killed, a half dozen bears were poached in the preserve. BUT, in the years he was there, no bears were poached.
Of course, that doesn't PROVE that it was his presence and protection that saved the bears. I really would like to see some objective analysis of that topic, though.
As for:
"Also, his unwillingness to leave caused the death of his "girlfriend" at the time...she didnt want to stay in the moments just before this rogue bear ate them. They had actually left and HE decided that they HAD to go back."
Can you point me to some info on this? There was nothing mentioned about them going leaving & then going back just before being eaten.
What they DID say was that she was fighting back while HE was telling her to get the hell out of there. They made it sound as if SHE stayed in that obviously hopeless situation by her own freewill. It didn't sound as if she were forced by him to stay there.
Again, there are always two sides to every story & I always like to see both sides.
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