KATMAI N.P., ALASKA - A fatal bear attack that left two people and two bears dead at Katmai National Park and Preserve raises questions about how the Park Service should best walk the fine line between allowing remote wilderness access while also protecting the lives of visitors and wildlife.
Timothy Treadwell, 46, and Amie Hugenard, 37, of Malibu, California, died in early October on a camping and bear-watching trip at a lake adjacent to Kaflia Bay, on Katmai's outer coast. One or more bears, drawn to the remote wilderness area because of salmon in the lake, mauled the travelers to death-the first known bear killings at Katmai. While investigating the incident, Park Service staff, in self-defense, shot and killed two charging brown bears.
The travelers were videotaping bears at the lake, officials said, noting that Treadwell was widely known for his rapport with bears. Park Service officials, however, had long feared that Treadwell would be killed by bears and repeatedly warned him not to get too close to the animals or disrupt their natural behavior.
"At best, he's misguided," then-superintendent Deb Liggett told the Anchorage Daily News in 2001. "At worst, he's dangerous. If he models unsafe behavior, he's ultimately putting the bears and other visitors at risk."
The Park Service is doing a standard review of the incident, but the agency does not expect significant changes to its policy of allowing wilderness access.
"We think that the rules are sufficient and sound," said Superintendent Joe Fowler. "People are attracted to these wilderness areas, where there's always an element of risk. That's probably the reason some people are drawn to them."
Still, some have called for the Park Service to get tougher on visitors who break the agency's rules around wildlife and to better educate the public on wilderness safety.
"The tragic bear killings highlight the danger of camping in areas of high bear activity and show the need for the Park Service to manage park visitors to prevent this from happening again," said Jim Stratton, NPCA's Alaska regional director. "There is a clear need for more funding to put more rangers inside the park," he said, "and the Park Service must aggressively pursue those who violate the rules, such as touching and interfering with natural bear behaviors."
The Park Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game recently developed a "Best Practices" report for safely viewing bears on the Katmai coast. Among its recommendations: Do not approach a bear in close distances; avoid surprise encounters; secure all food sources; and in remote wilderness areas, consider bringing small, transportable electric fences to protect a campsite.
