Love of nature that doesn't love back

The film's producers do not shy away from the controversy that surrounded Treadwell. The first episodes tackle the main issue head-on -- namely, was his relationship with the bears real or imagined? An early show also contains an act of grizzly bear brutality that clearly shakes Treadwell and forces even him to question what they must think of him and what place he occupies in their world.

For a viewer raised on the more treacly "Born Free" and "Grizzly Adams," "The Grizzly Man Diaries" is a bracing, if unsettling, reminder that when one leaves civilization one should not expect to find . . . civilization. If the bears seem to accept Treadwell's presence as nonthreatening and, so, not worthy of attack, that is all they do. Any fondness or friendship seems strictly one-sided, brought to the wilderness by a man who could neither live within the confines of human society nor truly outside of it. It is both heartbreaking and revelatory to watch.

Animal Planet has made its name on the love and fascination humans have for animals, and it is impossible to walk away from "The Grizzly Man Diaries" without thinking about the place of humans in the natural world, of how we impose our definitions of love and friendship on creatures who may not be able to reciprocate and why we need to do so at all.

Pretty heavy stuff, not to mention some really great shots of grizzly bears.

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mary.mcnamara @latimes.com

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'The Grizzly Man Diaries'

Where: Animal Planet

When: 9 and 9:30 tonight

Rating: TV-G (suitable for all ages)