The final moments of a couple who tried to live among grizzly bears were captured in a chilling audio recording.
Timothy Treadwell, a 46-year-old environmentalist, and his girlfriend, 37-year-old Amie Huguenard, were mauled to death by a grizzly bear in Katmai National Park on October 5, 2003.
The horror unfolded the day before they were due to be picked up from their campsite, and their last words were captured on Treadwell’s video camera.
Though the lens cap was still on, the microphone recorded six minutes of pure terror. “Get out here! I’m getting killed out here!” Treadwell was heard screaming as Amie unzipped the tent and rushed to help, per The Mirror.
She told him to "play dead" and struck the bear with a frying pan as it momentarily let go. Then it returns - apparently grabbing Treadwell by the head and dragging him into the undergrowth.
“Hit the bear!” Treadwell pleads. Amie’s frantic cries echo through the storm before the tape ends in blood-curdling screams.
The couple had been camping deep in a prime feeding ground that park authorities say is especially dangerous in autumn when bears are desperate to bulk up for hibernation.
Despite repeated warnings from friends, family, and rangers, Treadwell insisted he had a unique bond with the bears. He named them, played with them, and even touched them, believing they were misunderstood.
But Amie, who shared his love for nature, had privately told friends she feared the bears and confessed this trip would be her last. She had already secured a new job in California.
Their deaths marked a tragic end to Treadwell’s 13-year mission to live with the grizzlies. His obsession with the animals had evolved from personal healing into a lifestyle, one that wildlife experts viewed as reckless.
The U.S. National Park Service later concluded that Treadwell’s belief in a “special relationship” likely contributed to the fatal encounter.
“Treadwell's pattern of occupying prime feeding sites… is likely to have contributed to his decision to camp at Kaflia Lake during a time of year when bears were fiercely competing for food,” wrote the rangers in their investigation.
“It is possible that a bear investigated the camp in part due to the food found in the sleeping tent, and that the fatal confrontation resulted as a consequence of Treadwell's history of approaching bears and allowing bears to approach him within a few feet," they added.
Per the outlet, the couple's tent was found collapsed and torn. Nearby, a mound of grass and mud concealed remains, including Treadwell’s severed head and arm, with his wristwatch still attached.
Air taxi pilot Willy Fulton, who arrived for the scheduled pickup, described a haunting scene: a massive, malnourished bear sitting atop a pile of human remains, feeding on a ribcage.
The same bear reportedly stalked Fulton as he returned to his plane. Rangers eventually shot and killed the 1,000-pound, 28-year-old male grizzly and recovered four bags of human remains from its stomach.
The animal had broken teeth and was likely struggling to find food, making it even more dangerous.
Before the fateful trip, Amie had warned friends that Treadwell was “hellbent on destruction," and yet, she stayed until the moment they were both consumed by the very wilderness they loved.
Their story was immortalized in Werner Herzog’s award-winning documentary Grizzly Man, which used Treadwell’s footage to document his life, passion, and ultimately, his death.
Herzog listened to the blood-curdling tape but insisted it should be destroyed.