"They wouldn't hurt me."

In one of the videos on the Grizzly People website, Timothy says that his duties are to look after the bears and make sure they are not harmed by man. He also says that his presence guarantees their safety. I thought this was an interesting comment for a few reasons. First, one human does not have the capability to protect that many bears. His views were unrealistic, seeing as there are many possible threats to bears in the wild that one human would not be able to control. I don't think he understood the appropriate role and limits for a human interacting with bears. This was shown in a second video where he is talking to the bear like they speak the same language. Timothy says to the bear Downey, “You gotta get in there and really try harder. You gotta swat, you gotta move. They’re going underneath your paw. And when they go underneath, you don’t get them. You know?” Now like many pet owners, I am definitely guilty of talking to my dog like she’s a person from time to time. However, the length and tone of Timothy’s conversation made it seem like he really expected the bear to hear him, understand, and even respond.

            I also found it strange that Timothy was just casually standing across the creek from the bear. He looked very out of place and not particularly safe. I decided to find out a little more about his adventures, because he was definitely putting himself in some potentially dangerous situations. He was killed at the age of 46 by a bear, along with his girlfriend. In 1994, when asked if he was afraid of bears, he replied, “They wouldn’t hurt me”. This response leads me to question his mental sanity. I think it’s one thing for someone to put themselves out there and decide to live among bears, if they understand the risks and are willing to take those risks. However, he wasn’t in touch with reality enough to recognize the dangers of his actions. Overall, Timothy just didn't have a rational approach to his relationship with these bears.