Hezog’s documentary suggests that the bear that killed Treadwell and his companion was a bear they knew and photographed, one he referred to as “Ollie, the big old grumpy bear.” That’s a view supported in the literature about Treadwell’s death.
There are some detailed accounts of the incident which have been published on the web. I won’t point to them because I think most people will find them very disturbing. But those who have listened to the audiotape of the attack have reported that Treadwell’s initial interaction with the bear suggest that it was a bear he knew.
Their behavior might be similar enough that it still applies, but I have to seriously question the validity of this Wiki. PANDA’S ARE NOT BEARS! THEY ARE MARSUPIALS! ahem thank you, that is all.
Jesus, I knew this when I was, like, 6 years old! That’s a pretty big foul-up on the contributors part.
PS. I am not saying that I doubt the main point. Just that mentioning Panda behavior when speaking about bears is a sign of ignorance.
This is so sllly I think I must be being whooshed here, but just in case you might be serious:
Giant Pandas are presently classified as members of the bear family, Ursidae. They have never, ever, ever, been classified as marsupials, even when you were six years old. Not even when Linneaus was six years old.
However, they and their cousins the red (or common) panda were often times classified in the raccoon family, which is what H3Knuckles might be thinking of. I vaguely remember being taught in my youth as well that pandas weren’t bears.
The current line of thought holds that the giant panda is closer to bears while the red panda is closer to raccoons, though all pandas share some traits unique to them that don’t exist in other bears or raccoons so it’s been suggested in the past that Pandas get their own classification.
Boy, I never thought that this would be an “on-topic” joke, but here goes:
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), The FBI, and the CIA are all trying to prove that they are the best at apprehending criminals. The President decides to give them a test. He releases a rabbit into a forest and each of them has to catch it.
The CIA goes in. They place animal informants throughout the forest. They question all plant and mineral witnesses. After three months of extensive investigations they issue a report stating that rabbits do not exist.
The FBI goes in. After two weeks with no leads they burn the forest, killing everything in it, including the rabbit, and they make no apologies. The rabbit had it coming.
The LAPD goes in. They come out two hours later dragging a severely beaten bear, who is screaming “Okay! Okay! I’m a rabbit! I’m a rabbit!”
Finding the right bear for you isn’t an easy task, and sometimes if you try too hard you might never find him! But you can try finding bear friends; go out, attend parties, that way you will have the choice of seeing what bears are like, how they act and behave, and find the characteristics that you like in your bear.
Don’t worry, the time will come when you will find that special bear, and you will fall in love and that would be the right time. And remember, don’t try too hard, just relax and enjoy the ride.
Although drop bears aren’t really bears either (just to confuse things even further). Like koalas, they are marsupials. Unlike koalas, they scare the living crap out of me.