The Bear Man (2008) | 60 Minutes Australia

if they told me I'd end up in Alaska hanging out with wild bears I'd have said you're crazy especially as I know what happened to the last bloke who tried it he was eaten alive nevertheless there I was off to meet a fascinating character called Charlie van der gar every summer he goes bush and lives with his bears not tame little Teddy's but big black ones and even bigger Grizzlies strangely enough Charlie is a next hunter who after one extraordinary encounter decided he'd rather befriend bears than shoot them he calls his little patch of paradise bear Haven and from the first breathtaking moment of this story you can see why [Music] in the wilds of Alaska after the snow has melted a truly remarkable relationship rekindles they call him the bear whisperer but Charlie van der Garr prefers to be known simply as a retired schoolteacher a man who'd rather spend his summers with wild bears than people I imagine there's people all over with betting pools on how long I'm going to survive which was fine what are your friends and family think when they see you doing this that I'm crazy Charlie van der gaw is no scientist and this is not a zoo it's Charlie's summer home the property he built more than 20 years ago where black bears and the giant grizzly both potential man-eaters roam freely [Music] incredibly despite the risks these explosively dangerous animals our welcome guests I've been slapped I've been knocked unconscious I've been t-boned by large bears and knocked to the ground and had a hard time getting up I've been thrown to the ground by bears but it was it was in no way that any of those was an out all-out attack I guarantee I wouldn't be sitting here today if a bear had given me an all-out attack at the same time it's probably like anything else you've got if you've got thousands of hours with bears the odds are acquitted [Applause] the odds are mounting I don't need him like the hey I don't do that play it's [Music] to be honest I wasn't sure what to expect when we flew north from Anchorage to Charlie's beer Haven up here the taxis need wings there's no roads after 40 minutes flying through bear country I touched down on the runway Charlie carved out of the wilderness good I know Charlie isn't Liam how are you good to meet you well this is Bear Haven isn't house gets to already there are some around most I close to you here it's not a matter of you finding the Bears they find you they're everywhere believe me it takes some getting used to [Music] today they're six black bears roaming around and remember they're wild unpredictable and very powerful look at how wide she is across the chest sheer power don't don't she's all right now did you say she's all wrong she is look at her does she look like an angry animal no do you really want me to answer that looks like a happy bear not exactly Yogi Bear that's the problem what are you trying to prove that by being so close to bears nothing when I look at a Barrett says Pet me so it's like a horse or a dog or a cat only it's a bear it's a it's a wild thing [Music] I get them to come to me and I know what was that she's chasing another bear I've got to tell you it's a bit weird being this up close and personal to a black bear in the wilds of Alaska Charlie says her name's lady she's been coming here for about 13 years every now and again you've got to pinch yourself and remember if this is not exactly the family dog you're dealing with [Music] if this animal wanted to do us harm now would be like a chainsaw gone berserk you cannot defend yourself against this animal you've never worried that any of those bears even Grizzlies my age you know I don't even think about being eaten why why would they want to eat me only a Hungry Bear a starving bear would eat a human but is there a chance yeah Charlie there there are chances that there's a deranged bear or sick bear that might decide that I was a prey got a slotted visitor here it's a bit difficult to ask you another question at the moment so we'll just take a break well I'm glad you're confident surely you're not afraid of that animal well there's a small part of me that that is afraid of that animal yeah but don't you don't you look at the way the animal looks does it is it or its ears back is a snarling is his is her hair standing on end well haven't got that far Charlie I'm just looking at a bear in the wilds of Alaska okay so that's exactly what I do well I'm careful to look at the bear I see an creature with eyes lifts and with teeth and with ears oh I see the two hair I see big teeth and big claws but you have been a hunter haven't you yes I hunted hard for years did you hunt bears yes I did Charlie wasn't always such an animal lover for years he was an ardent hunter and even now respects the rights of others to kill but then one summer's day he had a life-changing encounter a huge black bear appeared at the house and crawled up to him on its belly a big black bear he saved black bear on his stomach and that's a very subservient posture for a bear to get into so I started doing the same thing so you're on your stomach with an adult bear they get old bear thinking am I going mad no I this bear wanted me for a friend pure and simple he was willing to make himself small to show that he wasn't trying to dominate me and that was the style of the love effect how is the start he called the bed big jack and pretty soon he was followed by others the way to obey his heart is through its stomach so Charlie used food to bond with his new neighbors this is the only place in the world where you'll find Grizzlies and black bears side-by-side he's had as many as 27 bears in the yard at one time [Music] well I will tell you something that's very satisfying for me to feed a wild animal I love to feed animals food is it's what it's all about with a bear they either eat or they perish she spends approximately half of her life in hibernation the rest of the time she's eating she hates plenty of it too but look about oh she will be magnificent by the end of September she weigh a couple hundred pounds more so she'll put on a couple of hundred pounds in the next few months yes thank goodness we're here now for years charlie shared his property with generations of bears and aside from family and a few friends the outside world was oblivious to the extraordinary relationship he developed with them it was only recently that authorities found out about Charlie's secret life and they were not happy what he's doing is clearly illegal it's illegal because it's dangerous and it's dangerous both to people and ultimately to bears how much longer will your department tolerate what charlie is doing well if it was up to us we wouldn't tolerate any longer but you know in the last case a little difference in some places but you'd shut him down tomorrow would he the Alaska Department of Fish and Game would yeah [Music] well let's bear I'm standing you're looking at it it's just torn down a bird feeder for wildlife officer Bruce Bartley bears are the number one management issue in summer keeping them out of Alaskan suburbs is a nightmare and feeding bears is strictly illegal charlie is viewed by officials as a rogue teaching his bears very bad habits you think he's setting a bad example to you absolutely and you know it's gonna end up poorly for the Bears because then when bears when we've trained him to come to people for food and they come to people and a problems created almost inevitably the bear ends up dead you know that's what they say a Fed bear is a dead bear if they go from here to my neighbor's and start trashing his place and looking for food they're dead but you don't to say that that would be terrible the only the only thing I can say to you is that you know all the years I've been here I don't believe I've lost a single bear to a neighbor he's living on the edge and you know we had the famous incident here several years ago or another bear whisperer Timothy Treadwell and he finally pushed his luck too far and he got killed for once there is weakness they will explore it they will take me out they would be capitate me they will chop me into bits and pieces I'm dead Timothy Treadwell was the self-proclaimed protector of grizzly bears [Music] but thirteen years he shared their domain but then he was eaten alive what is the difference between what you were doing and what Timothy Treadwell's tried to do it's as different as night and day I've come in here inist and established my territory the Bears know it's my territory they're the ones that are coming to me Timothy was living in the wilderness with totally unheard grizzly bears you're saying he invited their territory whereas they're coming to yours that's exactly what I'm saying now no just get him quite upset with me now should we move no we're okay here you're perfect she's not upset with you oh bloody hope not [Music] Charlie van der Garr is without a doubt one of the most intriguing men I've ever met he knows the outside world sees him as a maverick whose walk on the wild side could cost his life but that is a price that Charlie is willing to pay well what do you want me to do say I want to die or in a diaper in a nursing home if I'm capable having wonderful exciting happy days creating this place and playing with these bears who's the winner [Music] my likes I'm sorry sucker having to work till he's 70 in an office is that living no I beg to differ with you that's existing I live out here every day is wonderful out here [Music]

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 324,156

Rating: 4.7552018 out of 5

Keywords: Grizzly bears, grizzlies, black bears, bears, alaska, bear haven, conservation, wilderness, wildlife, Charlie Vandergaw, Liam bartlett, 60 minutes, 60 minutes australia

Id: TNzDfB4kCrY

Length: 15min 12sec (912 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 10 2018