Famous Grizzly Bear Kills Trainer
Filed under: Film Flickers > Sad Sad > Will Ferrell
How sad.
Stephan Miller, a 39 year old animal trainer from Big Bear Lake, CA, was attacked by a grizzly bear on Tuesday at the Predators in Action wild animal training center.
Two other handlers were working with the 5 year-old bear, named Rocky, when it attacked. The other two were able to pepper spray and subdue Rocky.
Luckily, there were no other injuries.
You've probably seen Rocky before. It's the same grizzly bear featured in Will Ferrell's film Semi-Pro, in which Ferrell appears to wrestle with the bear.
What could have gone so wrong???
Officials arrived to investigate the incident and Fish and Game spokesman, Harry Morse, said yesterday that his department would not decide whether Rocky would be euthanized since the attack occurred outside its jurisdiction.
It may be up to the San Bernandino county animal care officials to decide Rocky's fate.
Poor thing. He didn't asked to be locked up and trained like pet. He's a wild animal, after all. You can't really ever predict what they're going to go.
Just ask Siegfried and Roy!
Eerily enough, Randy Miller, the owner of the training location and cousin of the attacked trainer, was quoted in the local newspaper in February as saying Rocky is "the best working bear in the business." But continued by stating, "If one of these animals gets a hold of your throat, you're finished."
What will happen to poor Rocky???
Should they kill him?
Hell no!!! How do you attempt to "train" a wild animal and then kill it when it acts in accord with its nature? Circle of life, I say…
IT'S VERY SAD THAT SOMEONE DIED BECAUSE OF THIS BUT I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH KILLING THE BEAR. THESE ARE WILD ANIMALS BEING TRAINED LIKE DOMESTIC ANIMALS AND WE CAN'T FORGET THAT THEY ARE ANIMALS. THEY SHOULDN'T BE KILLED EVER BECAUSE OF THAT. IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT.
I would like to know who to contact to make sure that they do not kill Rocky, that would be an outrage! Does anyone know?
no lo maten no tiene la culpa! es un animal salvaje y debe de estar en su ambiente…aparentemente Grizzly se canso de ser tratado como un obrero.
No, Rocky should not be "put down". Some animals just cannot be tamed and a bear is one of them. Rocky should be retired. Maybe he could be a zoo bear.
IF THEY KILL THAT BEAR, THERE WILL HELL TO BE PAID!!!!! THATS JUST WRONG!
Re: Terry – GO DIE BITCH
we don't kill people who knowingly kill other people…why should we hold a wild animal accountable for it's natural instinct…if you are dumb enough to think a wild animal can be tamed, then that is your problem…not the animals.
When will people ever learn .Animals are animals.
No, the bear probably got frightened or felt it was in danger and attacked. it is sad that this happened but the trainer knew the risks of training this bear.
NO!!!
I love how people capture wild animals and try to tame them, and then when the WILD animal turns on them, they kill it! It's a WILD ANIMAL you idiots!!!!
FUCK NO. If that bear dies, I will personally slit the throat of whomever administered the lethal injection. As far as the judge is concerned, I will anally rape him with a rusty chainsaw if his decision amounts to the killing of a wild animal.
No, of course not. They can't let him go either, though, because he is too used to humans. Poor bear.
Ridiculous and unacceptable to put him down. He's a wild animal, for God's sake — just doing what comes naturally.
Is there a petition to sign stating that they should NOT kill the Bear?!
I have worked in animal training (mostly dogs) and support the industry standard of 3 "signifigant" (requiring stiches or other medical attention) standard. It is applied to dogs, because they live with people, and pose a greater danger. Realistically, reputable trainers will not work with a wild animal that has killed or signifigantly endangered a human, so if you apply the 3 bite rule, the animal wont be euthanized, because it won't get another change to bite.
The bear didn't go crazy the bear went bear
DON'T KILL ROCKY, SEND HIM TO A SANTUARY, IT'S NOT HIS FAULT THAT PEOPLE ARE STUPID.
Absolute bullshit!! I agree with most of the other comments. It is a WILD animal, wtf were these trainers expecting??
No, that's what bears do! The trainer is lucky the bear withheld for so long. Let the bear go.
How can anyone condem a wild animal for being "wild"? No matter how well trained an animal may seem, he remains a wild animal and precautions need to be taken. If an accident happens, you should assume responsibility, not KILL THE POOR ANIMAL!
And by the way….this is why Paris Hilton shouldn't be allowed to own wild animals. She's a complete idiot who doen't seem to understand that small and cute can become big and wild. Leave the animals in their natural habitats please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I'm a board member of the animal rescue that works closely with Randy. Rocky is not a wild animal. Randy rescued him from an illegal owner as a cub. There are many exotic animals out there that zoos do not take in. They can't be released into the wild.
Randy cares a lot more about these animals than the rest of us. That's why he gave up everything to give them a home. Training them to work in movies is fun and stimulating for the animals, and it is needed to pay their way. The government provides no funding or grants to rescue exotic animals. As a result Rocky is lucky to be at Predators in Action, or he would have been euthanized by Fish and Game.
The commenters here have jumped to the conclusion that a wild bear was brought in and trained. That is totally illegal, and morally reprehensible. But believe it or not, in states like Florida, Texas, Nevada, Minnesota and Michigan you can buy a grizzly, a tiger, a lion for practically nothing. Then when the illegal owner figures out their mistake, it falls on rescue sanctuaries like us to take in the animal and pay out of pocket to support it.
Randy is not a rich man because he has to support dozens of these animals with occasional film work. But he believes it's better than allowing them to be euthanized by a government that doesn't seem to care.
No! No! No! It would be criminal to kill Rocky. He is a wild animal who was just behaving naturally–which is acting wild. Set him free on a protected wildlife preserve and let him live out his days with some measure of freedom and dignity. Let the film-makers utilize CG lions and tigers and bears when they need them.
Nope if you're going to work with WILD animals you are taking a risk of being killed. My condolences to the family though and it is sad but no way should they kill Rocky!! Set him free
yeah bears were meant to be wild they should be trained
this should have been expected
NOO WAY!! They shouldn't kill the bear. Things like this do my fucking head in. Its like he is a WILD animal.. did he ask to be locked up and used for entertaining humans. NO.
This is not what animals are here for. I think its disgusting how they are used in this way. i agree with everyone else, lock up the fuckers who capture them and train them. This bear has done nothing wrong. He is being locked up against his will and it is his instinct to attack whatever he feels threatening to protect himself. I don't blame the bear at all. I think it is a beautiful wild animal and should be let free.
Not used in TOTAL SHIT will ferrell movies.
He is a Grizzly Bear….. Heeeellllllooooooo????? What the hell is wrong with people- Just like the white tigers- these are wild animals that should be treated with respect and awe- not to have some queen sit on it while ridind a disco ball- if S&R did that to me I would have ripped his throat out too- and as far as the bear- good for him….. thats what Grizzly bears do- Wild animals are beautiful, DANGEROUS, creatures- they should be treated with dignity, and respect and for those who do differently- shame on them-
I no longer go to the circus (nor do I take my son) that has any animals- its a disgusting, antiquated past time that should be done away with…. leave the animals alone already
Fuck no! That poor bear was robbed of its natural environment and it's right to live the life God intended for it to have…IN THE WILD. Just bc some dumb fucks come along and take it, and try to make $ off of it, doesn't mean they have a right to determine its fate when it acts out. Sucks for the guy, but they got what they deserved. Get a real fucking job instead of making your living tormenting animals. It won't adapt back into the wild, so humans should continue the responsibility they brought on themselves in domesticating it and continue to care for it. Fuckin morons.
Unless you have a pet (that is treated very well), animals are not here to amuse us…they are here for their own existance. I hate the thought that this bear is going to be killed because it killed a human. I believe in equality. Equality for all life. STOP CAGING ANIMALS!!! This includes all zoos and marinelands!
No… he needs to be socialized to rejoin his fellow bears in the wild…. Don't punish him for his natural instincts. He shouldn't be given the death penalty like a human because HE ISN'T ONE!
No…if the trainers were taken from their homes, locked up and made to do things that were totally against their naturual instincts you can't tell me they wouldn't turn eventually on themselves. Far to late to return him to the wild but maybe a home in a zoo might give this poor bear a chance to live in peace.
No the bear shouldnt get killed.
It's not the bears fault! The guys who locked him up should be killed!! They need to let Rocky be free and quit abusing him!
NO! What they need to do is kill the assholes that took him from the wild in the first place.. Poor Rocky!
Need to quit fuckin' with bears, ya'll
This bear should not be put to death. It is a wild animal not a domestic pet.
Can we start a petition?
I understand San Francisco may convert their zoo to a rescue-rehab facility for animals. Rocky should be cared for since he was raised from a cub with humans. I still feel bad that Tatiana the tiger had to be shot because she was provoked by zoo visitors. It might be a happy solution for all concerned. Or Tippi Hedron might be an answer. It's time to end the exploitation of wild animals. Let the film people use CGI. They did it with dinosaurs.
It would be so unfair to kill him. He didn't ask to be "trained" just to make someone some money. Very sad.
I agree with perez and that they should be killing the people that train them for entertainment! that's not why they are on this earth! I really hate people sometimes
HELL NO!!!! just like everyone else is saying, he didnt ask to be trained and shit. just because hes an animal and cant do anything to help himself! u dont see us people killing other people who have murdered people, instead they get a "fair" trial and they are let go. but no lets kill Rocky because hes an animal. BULL!!!!
"Luckily, there were no other injuries."
-
Umm, SOMEONE DIED!! Fuck you're an idiot Perez.
No, an animal should never be killed for being what they are. As peaceful as animals can be, even humans, have instincts trained or wild. There's not shame or blame in that. Killing it won't bears or any other animal for that matter change their way of survival. If humans have a right to live for the things they do, so should other animals on this Earth.
I don't think that the bear should be put down either. Rehabitated…perhaps .
I would like to hear more because it may be that the bear did not intend to kill him.
He should be trained to go back to the wild. Not killed. Or put in a sanctuary.
Hell no they shouldnt kill him! Like you said he is a wild animal who doesnt know right from wrong, maybe he was having a bad day and his trainer just pissed him off, he cant tell the trainer Im not in the mood for this today, that is just his natural reaction. I think he should go to a zoo, he can live in peace and wont have to do any stupid tricks or stunts. He probably cant go back to the wild he might not know how to catch his own food now. Poor baby!
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!
He is a wild animal and should be in the WILD!
DO NOT KILL THE BEAR!!
Rocky didn't do anything wrong. He is a wild animal and he has instincts… You can't blame the bear. I don't think it would be ethical to kill Rocky.
Honestly, none of you would even know of Rocky I bet if people didn't capture and train him. Humans are at the top of the food chain.. too bad Rocky!
To elaborate on my last comment, and to add some more as well, animals, including humans, are wild. There are those, like humans that adapt and do things in order to survive, it's called instinct. Yes it is sad, that the trainer died, but it's a bear, these things happen, and triners go into the job knowing exactly that. Animals are not ment to be in cages, they're not even meant to be trained. Can you tame a human? Wake up people, if you're not going to punish humans for surving you can't punish a bear, or any wild animal for that matter. Once people realize realize thay have a brain, maybe one day it'll sink in. People want to be entertained, yeah, but to use animals of any kind solely for that purpose is perposterous;zoos included unless of course it is based on facts or an event that happened in history. 'Natural selection' people!!! Life exists for those to adapt whether animal or human. Whatever the bears intention, is irrelavent.
Man, this world is fucked up. We're going to kill a bear for…….being a bear??? Jesus. Chris Rock had a good line in his act when Roy got attacked by that tiger…It's like, the tiger "went tiger" on him. Assholes.
I think it would be wrong to euthanize the bear because it is a wild animal and they should not be in cage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DON T KILL THE BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you play with fire you ll get burnt SIMPLE… that animal should have been in a fxxking forrest not MAKING CASH!!!!!!
Poor thing. He didn't asked to be locked up and trained like pet. He's a wild animal, after all. You can't really ever predict what they're going to go.?? Kill the bear he took someones life away take his
Re: Grizzly Adams – And you are just a waste of space & air.
Re: alex – Thank God YOU'RE not human. It'll be much easier shooting you in the head.
no.
They shouldn't kill a bear for being a bear. The humans, not the bear, are responsible for this.
kill the fucking beast.
they are wild animals not hollywood animals,theyr not ment to be locked up stop ANIMAL CRUELTY
Re: Tori – My previous comment was in response specifically to those saying that Rocky should be "released into the wild" but as for my own opinion, I do think he should be kept in a reserve. From my understanding, the owner of the training center's whole motivation in keeping him was to make sure Rocky had a good home. So hopefully he still has that as a priority despite the current situation.
Re: fuck PETA – Re: A – Final a voice of reason!
Well, the bear is a bear. Shoulf humans punish animals for being animals? Nooo. Let him work in the business. The show must go on.
(WHat I mean is - if you play with wild animals - this is at least ine of the possibilities, no?)
And:
Boats di sink.
And planes crash.
And Bears eat meat sometimes.
And we are in no way above nature.
Amen /Anna From Sweden
No. dont kill rocky. put him in a prison yard with some scared wimpy rapists and murderers.now that's mother nature getting revenge!
I think they should just let the bear go. It's extremely unfair that he has to be kept as a pet and treated like a god damn sideshow. What do they expect?
PETA should be all over this shizz! It's a WILD animal!! They need to leave it aloneee!
Rocky should NOT be killed. He is a wild animal - and it is sick that he has been taken from his natural habitat to entertain people. That trainer got what he deserved!
No they shouldn't kill Rocky… The trainer probably knew it was always possible for Rocky to kill him and he had come to terms with that possibility…im sure that if the trainer were still alive he would fight to keep Rocky alive…he is after all a wild animal that should never be thought of as predictable…and im sure the trainer knew that! If People want to keep seeing these animals in their favorite movies they also need to come terms with the thought that someone can and will get hurt…if the people training them can handle the thought of a grim outcome of becoming seriously hurt or killed…who are we to decide that the animal they dedicated soo much time to training, should be killed?! Its just wrong and its something i will never understand!
No. Release him in the Alaska Wilderness where he belongs. These animals are already endangered. The trainer's death was a risk he took. I don't think he would want the bear euthanized.
Even tho everyone's like they shouldn't lock him up I'm sure u all went to see the Dr. Dolittle movie and whatever movies that have animals in them. Just put him in the wild and let him fend for himself u can't bite the hand (or neck) that feeds u.lol
They should not kill the bear because, "IF YOU LAY WITH THE DOG YOU WILL GET THE FLEAS"!!
NO! They should not kill him. Maybe his natural instincts of being a BEAR kicked in and he decided he didnt want to be captive anymore. Just like any one of us would fight tooth and nail if someone decided to just cage us up and act like its ok. They should release him and any other wild animals they have so these sort of things dont happen anymore. Unfortunate for everyone involved in this. One useless death already, no need for 2.
FREE ROCKY! RIP Stephan Miller.
Hell fucking no!!! He's a wild animal and doesn't deserve to be locked up like that. It's a shame how we treat animals when they "attack". Isn't that what the fuck they're supposed to do??!! This makes me sad but……I'd shoot Rocky's ass if he came at me. Sorry.
no, kill all the directors in hollywood, they churn out such crap, it pisses the bears off.
He's a WILD ANIMAL. How could anyone justify killing him just because he did what came naturally?
NO THEY SHOULD NOT FUCKING KILL THE BEAR!!!!!
They should kill the fucking trainer, they think that they can just take animals out of their habitats and keep them and train them to be with humans, well that is idiocy. Humans do not have the right to just "kill" an animal because they are not working out anymore, its the same case with dogs. We are not God, we have no right to decide over an innocent animals life!!!!
why kill the animal??? it is cruel to make animals do tricks and participate in their torture for our entertainment.
NO, Rocky did not choose this life. If he wanted to attack him he would have really attacked him he would have done it differently, he was licking his face and then bit him at the wrong spot, and it was AN ACCIDENT. You have to realize we are like a tissue compared to how strong he was. He is a wild animal and did not choose this life and does not deserve to die. I think his owner that die loved him and knew it was an accident and would not want him to die.
You really can't expect an animal to work like a slave for his whole life and not have any anger issues bottled up inside…..who wants to be a slave?? Slavery is just wrong. Everyone knows that.