Black bear photo by Dr. William Weber (Image source: U.S. Dept. of Transportation)
Grizzly Man he is not, but the similarities between the professional life of biologist Lynn Rogers and the well-known pursuits of Timothy Treadwell – slain subject of director Werner Herzog’s 2005 documentary – will likely draw a few extra viewers on October 28th, when the BBC’s debuts Bearwalker of the Northwoods. Treadwell was a gung-ho naturalist (and obviously a bit of a fantasist) who spent 13 summers camping amongst wild Alaskan grizzly bears. Though his intimacy and affinity for bears was astonishing, Treadwell eventually became the victim of a large male grizzly, along with his girlfriend Amie Huguenard. Grizzly Man is a remarkable film, as much a psychological exploration as it is a film about grizzly bears and a tragic warning to respect nature.
Bearwalker promises to be a remarkable in its own right, but with less potential for sensationalism and a considerably more scientific bent. After all, Lynn Rogers holds a PHD from the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology and Behavioral Biology and has been studying black bears for over 40 years. He is also decidedly less sentimental than Treadwell:
“June she has no feelings for me. If she had feelings I think she would want to seek out company like a dog does its master,” he said. “But she doesn’t think of me in those terms.”
– from guardian.co.uk
Still, Rogers’ closeness to the bears can be seen as controversial as it may inspire others to try to make contact with bears or acclimate the bears to human presence. Almost like Jane Goodall has done with chimps and gorillas – though wisely not quite to that level of intimacy – Rogers has gained a level of trust with the black bears of Minnesota, allowing him to observe their behavior quite closely. He has concluded that, contrary to popular beliefs, black bears don’t like honey, berries or nuts and are not aggressive or violent, but rather are timid creatures. I guess that would explain this video of a cat chasing a bear or this similar story from 2006.
‘Cute Mother Bear and her Cubs – Natural World: Bearwalker of the Northwoods – BBC Two’
By Graham Land
Additional resources:
Guardian – BBC ‘bear man’ documentary explodes honey myth
Bearwalker of the Northwoods slideshow
BBC News – The man who walks with bears
Bearstudy.org