Blog 12

Timothy Tidwell's story and his many expeditions among the bears was more interesting then I had originally imagined. His cause/care for the bears and wildlife that surrounded him was quite admirable, but his total lack of fear of the bears seemed quite silly to the average viewer. But, in a sense, one can see why Tidwell may have adopted this attitude. He spent 13 summers with the bears and learned the tendencies of each of the creatures. He followed them around around day to day and observed their behaviors. Even when he was not with them, he went around the world speaking about them and defending their rights. It seems to one that after all that work for a specific group, one would have to feel connected to them on a deeper level, the way Tidwell seemed to be with the bears of Alaska.
I thought it was very interesting when the other ecologists, biologists, natives, pilots, ect. gave their views on Tidwell's actions. I would have to agree with them that Tidwell, in his love for the bears and sense of connection that he felt toward them, forgot the species barrier and the fact that bears are a different creature then human beings. One commentator even described Tidwell as wanting to leave his humanness behind and bind with the bears in a type of primordial experience. One can see this in the way that Tidwell is explained to have growled at others like a bear when feeling threatened. This desire to bind with the bears may have led Tidwell to act like he was dealing with humans in bear costumes (as another commentator described it), not a different and more vicious species.
All in all, the portion of the movie/ documentary that the class viewed was very interesting. Hertzog, the filmmaker, did a wonderful of job of capturing Tidwell's personality and love for the bears as well as his altered attitude toward them that led to his death. Hertzog's introduction of other commentators and their views on Tidwell were equally insightful and expressive of other opinions and views, no matter how callous or truthful. I feel that I learned quite a bit from the movie and was better able to visualize some of the emotions and views towards animals that Midgley documents in her writings.