The Gift of the Grizzly | Thomas D. Mangelsen | TEDxJacksonHole

Thomas D. Mangelsen is one of the most prolific and widely celebrated nature photographers of our time and an international hero for making Grizzly 399 famous and for advocating to protect grizzlies. His photographs document the bears’ resurgence as they have been listed and delisted under the Endangered Species Act.
This fall the conservation community championed Tom when he was randomly drawn from 7,000 applicants as #8 of the 22 hunters awarded a license to kill a grizzly bear in Wyoming. Of course he wasn't going to use his tag to kill one, but instead use it to photograph, potentially saving a bear or two of the estimated 700 in the region. The hunt was called off at the last minute, but as Tom will tell you, the metamorphosis of the Great Bear is far from over. Renowned American nature and wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen has traveled throughout the natural world for over 40 years observing and photographing the Earth’s last great wild places. A Nebraska native, Mangelsen’s love of nature, his life outdoors and business success were heavily influenced by his father. An avid sportsman, Harold Mangelsen took his sons to favorite blinds along the Platte River in Nebraska to observe the great flocks of ducks, geese and cranes that migrate through the valley. From these adventures, Mangelsen learned important lessons for photographing in the field, most notably patience and understanding animal behavior. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@ariw9405]

What a kind soul this man has. His photography is so beautiful and his work saving the grizzly makes him a hero to me.

[@fionakingsley-monks9474]

God bless, he wears his heart for all to see. So jealous of his relationship with 399.

[@SueTay.]

Tears running down my face as I type this, Thank you 🙏

[@Mimiismimi100]

You, Tom, are the most incredible and beautiful human being and 399 is your treasure and now ours. May God’s eternal blessings be with you and 399. I love this story, it brought me to tears. Sending you respect and so much love. God bless you! ❤

[@julieearp9549]

Tom is one of my naturalist heroes along with Aldo Leopold, Edward Abbey, and Jon Muir. Thank you for what you do, and have done so long. Thanks for being my friend, I am honored.

[@choosepeace2393]

Special families of intelligent wildlife to protect to preserve is so important.

[@sgrvtl7183]

Thank You so much, beautiful presentation~Heartfelt~💜

[@DonybrookandBray]

Thank you Tom for the work you have come to do in conserving bears and wildlife for future generations, an example and a life well lived, thank you for your photographic works, writing and filming testimony which has informed, inspired and enriched our lives.

[@heathergold5362]

Love love this man and what he stands for!

[@don06281]

Last spring, my wife and I took a trip to Grand Teton National Park -- our 4th. It was during that trip that we had our first encounter with Grizzly 399 and her cubs. I don't know how many photos we took of her, but there were many. It was a fascinating experience, as you could easily see her doing exactly what Mr. Mangelsen described -- you could see her thinking, you could see her emotions showing through in her behavior and attitudes. Like any human mother, she watched over her cubs with great care, and you could see on her face the same look of concern for them that any other mother feels for her children. She is a magnificent creature. 399 is not the first -- and I certainly hope not the last -- bear I have seen in person. I can't thank Mr. Mangelsen enough for his efforts to protect these incredible animals.

[@myravanhoff1551]

Thank you sir for everything you do for the protection of wildlife.

[@kimyork7837]

Such a moving honest to the core presentation. Thank you.

[@elizabethdonaldson263]

I will never understand how anyone could kill such a magnificent creature. Thank you Tom for your continued efforts to educate the world about the grizzly bear. I will never forget my experience seeing 399 and her triplets in 2007.

[@SR-sg7qk]

Man you tugged at my heart strings at the end. I have never been out taking pictures of big beautiful animals like you. I would love to . But you take us through a journey in your talks. An I am thankful for that.

[@beccamoore6128]

Mr. Mangelsen, Thank you so much for what you are doing with your photography. It's absolutely wonderful.

[@markstevenson3047]

Now I understand why Thomas D .Mangelson Is The Great Photographer He is !

[@gregjack8077]

Wonderful story Mr. Mangelsen. Thank you for your efforts in the plight of they Grizzlies and photography. Bravo!

[@MJCColorado]

thank you Tom

[@paulreps7296]

If photographed snowy and 399 as she was chasing 610 out of Pilgrim Flats the day before she was killed. It crushed me and the group of photographers I was with. I still think about the moment as I’ve been watching 399 do 5 years now! I love this bear with all my being...

[@allyk5741]

Thank you so much for this talk. Every one of us can learn from wildlife. And thank you for everything you do for bears. They deserve to be here forever. ❤️

[@mitraism1]

Wow, your emotions at the end brought tears to my eyes!!! What a beautiful story Tom ❤ and thank you for all that you do.

[@catherinedalrymple2932]

Came upon this video in my web search to see if there was any news on 399 making it safely to her den this winter. Thank you for such a special heartfelt tribute Tom. (Would have expected nothing less.) What amazing work you continue to do. Please please update and let us know she made it safely back to Pilgrim Creek once again. I know you will know. --- Cay

[@BagsNBaguettes_327]

Amazing. I shed a tear 😢

[@hmarkmacha6261]

For me, the grizzly, wolf, coyote, bob cat, mountain lion, fox, badger, etc are part of our own habitat (in some venues, urban) and we should learn to live in harmony with them and not devastate or exploit them as we did the Bison.

[@angiel7535]

The bison is a horrible example of our misguided behavior The American bison is the U.S. national mammal, but its slaughter was once seen as a way to starve Native Americans into submission..US Army Colonel Richard Dodge told a wealthy hunter who felt a shiver of guilt after he shot 30 bulls in one trip: "Kill every buffalo you can! Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone.” Usually they took the skins and tongues as left the rest to rot.

[@marcellacrane6545]

399 and her legacy will continue to speak to those that care enough to value and protect our wildlands and wildlife. Humans need to coexist not destroy these species.

[@visitswflorida]

I find bears terrifying but it's possible to learn much from them.

[@Grizzlylady]

I love you so much Thomas Mangelsen. If you were available I would ask you to marry me! Thank you for your gift of love and compassion for our wildlife, and our wild places!

[@ITS.THE.NSA.]

When will there be a human recreational hunting season?

[@moisnhcrnr]

If the number of bears warrants removing them from the Endangered Species Act, but people are opposed to hunting them, then we need to reintroduce them into their previous territories such as California.

[@twostop6895]

um, Colorado, Oregon and Washington are way better places to get Grizzly Bears back first, also northern New Mexico

[@pokerman9108]

@@twostop6895 um we don't want them back. to many people to have such a predator running around. we already have a few attacks every year the area this guy is talking about.

[@1jesus2music3duke]

Man feels romantic about massive beast, hosts TED talk to share his feelings

[@mattstratton7740]

Anyone has the "right" to photograph wildlife. To not recognize that in doing so even at an extended distance in sight of that animal they are contributing to the habituation to humans of those animals. We know what happens to dangerous animals when they become too familiar with us, something they wouldn't normally do except that we place them in that situation & they have no say in the matter. Mr. Mangelsen describes himself as a conservationist, I do not dispute that. That he takes great photos of the animals he loves goes without saying. I just wonder if he recognizes that to some degree he contributes to the habituation to humans that often leads to tragic circumstances for the animals as well to humans sometimes. The animals are just doing what it takes to survive. We humans do not require pictures of animals to survive. We humans can make a decision to not act in a manner that endangers wildlife and still remain alive. The animals don't have that luxury. Could this be a case of loving something to death ? Mr. Mangelsen is just 1 individual among millions of others who contribute to the increased risk of harm to animals. It is not my intention to single him out. His prominence & standing within his artistic community simply made an excellent example for me to use to breach this side of the "argument." I do not mean to stand in judgement of anyone, only to foster more dialogue. Perhaps it may help ongoing conservation efforts.

[@daltonl8751]

We must be careful using the Endangered Species Act as a tool to protect the animals we emotionally deem "special". If they're recovered from threatened population levels, then for the integrity of the ESA we must delist them. It should be up to State biologists (since wildlife belong to the States, not the Federal govt) to make the ultimate determination. Then, those same biologists shall decide the most ethical and effective management of the animals, be it hunting or something else. I am a hunter, but my primary hope for wildlife is for more wildlife to live in more places for more people to view and enjoy. We then will use our human logic and reasoning to decide how to manage our wildlife in ways that is best for all of them and us.

[@pokerman9108]

He left out the part where the hunters stoping the commercial trade combine with the money raised by the taxes on all hunting goods is the reason his favorite bear exist today. Stop hunting and fishing and you stop the largest funding for conservation there is. It beats all others combine by far...