Timothy Treadwell (lost death audio of grizzly bear attack; 2003)

DISCLAIMER:
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS NSFL CONTENT; PLEASE BROWSE WITH CAUTION.

File:Grizzly man treadwell tape.jpg

Werner Herzog listening to the tape in Grizzly Man.

Status: Lost

On the 5th of October, 2003, grizzly bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard were mauled to death by a grizzly bear while camping in Katmai National Park; 6 minutes of audio recorded during the attack were subsequently found on the couple's video camera (albeit with the lens cap still on), none of which has ever been released to the public (though, what is assumed to be a very convincing fake of the first 2 minutes did show up online in the years following the incident and is believed by some to be genuine). According to Alaska State Trooper Chris Hill (who was there when the tape was discovered and who has, incidentally, heard the death audio in its entirety), the 6 minute recording "starts while he's being mauled and ends while he's being mauled"; Hill also revealed that the recording abruptly cuts out, due to the end of the tape being reached, suggesting that it otherwise "probably would have captured the whole thing."

Treadwell, who had spent the past 13 consecutive summers living with the bears of Katmai National Park (and who had documented upwards of 100 hours of footage over said period) had risen to fame a few years prior to his death, was interviewed on The Late Show with David Letterman in 2001, during which Letterman suggested (with disturbingly accurate foresight) the possibility of one day reading a newspaper headline that Treadwell had been eaten by a bear

References

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File:179500d1276134678 audio attack timothy treadwell friend amie huguenard 6 oct 2003 war liveleak com redefining media3

WARNING: DISTURBING! This audio has been proven fake, but it is still quite unsettling.

A 6 minute recording taken by Huguenard of the events leading up to, and after the attack, was found, although the video of the recording was pitch black (the camera was found with the lens cap still on, which explains the lack of a video portion). The 6 minute recording took up the last 6 minutes of the tape. It, along with the camera, was eventually given to Jewel Palovak, Timothy's ex-girlfriend; she claims she has never listened to the tape, and hopes she never has to.

A 1:51 audio clip, supposedly from the tape, was leaked online around 2008, and although many claim it's legitimacy, it has been proven fake due to the many inconsistencies between it and the official transcript of the tape (see update below).

UPDATE: 1:51 CLIP CONFIRMED FAKE (10 Jan '13)

After doing some additional research on the incident, and having personal correspondence with Kevin  Sanders (who has investigated the incident since the beginning, and who has heard a portion of the real tape), I believe the "leaked" 1:51 clip to be fake. According to Kevin, this audio is the same old fake audio that has been floating around for years. As you can read in the transcript of the tape, found on Kevin's website, the first sounds heard are Amie asking if it's "still out there". The next voice heard is Tim yelling "get out here, I'm getting killed out here" (this part is true to the above audio, but many inconsistencies remain). In the above clip, we never hear that first line from Amie. A tent zipper is then heard, as well as the tent flap opening (both of which are unheard in the above audio) before Amie yells at Tim to "play dead", later telling him to "fight back" after Tim states that playing dead isn't working (this statement is also unheard in the above audio). Note that in the same audio clip, Amie says "play dead" right after Tim yells for her to go to his aid; in the real audio, the tent is first heard unzipping and opening before Amie begins yelling. Rain hitting the tent is also said to be clearly heard during this part, which you do not hear in the faked audio. After this, the bear is said to have been startled off momentarily, during which time a short conversation ensued between Amie and Tim as to whether or not the bear was gone for good, moments before the bear returned. This conversation, again, is completely missing from the faked audio. Kevin has also stated that the bear was "nearly silent" throughout the entire recording, though it can be heard grunting and roaring in the fake clip quite frequently. Additionally, according to the transcript, right after Tim asks Amie to hit the bear, she yells "go away" before the sound of the frying pan hitting it is heard. This line, as well as the sounds of the frying pan hitting the bear, (like many sounds in the 1:51 clip), are also missing, confirming it a fraud. -dycaite