11 Best Animal Documentaries on Netflix Instant in 2015

5. Grizzly Man

Rank by sites 7, Rank by IMDb 8; Overall score = 15 points

Directed by Werner Herzog

Grizzly Man tells the unsettling and controversial story of Timothy Treadwell, a bear enthusiast who spend 13 years living in the Alaskan wilderness (Katmai National Park) with grizzlies, only to be killed and eaten by one along with his girlfriend in 2003. Over 100 hours of video he recorded during his time with the bears was recovered from the site. Herzog used some of it, together with interviews with family, friends, and experts, in creating his film. It paints a bleak picture of a sentimental young man who failed to realize that wilderness is a harsh and unforgivable place. Most experts agree that Treadwell overestimated his ability to bond with the wild bears, and in the end his own overconfidence is what killed him and girlfriend Amie Huguenard. The original cinema version of the film also contains Treadwell’s appearance at the David Letterman’s show, where the host jokingly remarks that his guest will end up eaten by bears. As it turned out, he was right.