Rocky The Acting Bear Kills Trainer

BearRocky the bear, most recently seen wrestling Will Ferrell in Anchorman has killed one of his trainers. This sad news makes its way to us via the fabled caves of Yahoo:

The grizzly bear that wrestled Will Ferrell’s character in the recent film “Semi-Pro” seemed to obediently follow cues which made its killing of its trainer with a bite to the neck all the more stunning. Three experienced handlers were working with the grizzly Tuesday at the Predators in Action wild animal training center when the bear attacked Stephan Miller, 39, said San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Beavers.

Stephan Miller is the cousin of training center owner Randy Miller, she said. In a February interview, Randy Miller called Rocky “the best working bear in the business,” the San Bernardino Sun reported on its Web site Wednesday. But, the paper quoted him as saying, “If one of these animals gets a hold of your throat, you’re finished.” Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Phelps said the bear was a 5-year-old male named Rocky. The Predators in Action Web site said Rocky is 7 1/2 feet tall and weighs 700 pounds.

This certainly sucks. The trainers love the bears and often the bears love the trainers, but when a 700 pound animal gets mad at you – nature takes over and the reaction can be both swift and fatal. There is talk of euthanizing the bear, and although I am pro death penalty – I don’t think Rocky should be eliminated. When you wrestle with bears, bad shit will eventually happen; the bear didn’t sign up to work 9-5 so we shouldn’t be surprised if he snaps because he just wants to chill and eat marshmallows.

I extend my condolences to the family and friends of Stephan Miller. They would know him better than me, and should probably have the largest say in the fate of the bear. If I worked with bears and one killed me – It would be in my living will to have it released into the wild. Everyone dies, and as sad as this news is- dying in combat with such a huge beast is pretty macho. The bear shouldn’t pay for his natural behavior; but we should expect the worst when we train them to act otherwise.

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21 thoughts on “Rocky The Acting Bear Kills Trainer

  1. I think we should lock him up in a cage and never let him act again.

    :-|

    Its a fricken Bear. Like it knows our laws…..?
    Like we can comunicate with it.
    Its like playing with a loaded gun.
    Doah. This guy died doing what he liked.
    Move on……

    Take the stupid bear and get it into a zoo at the least. I don’t blame the bear.

    1. There are several things I saw the trainers were doing wrong , the bear looked like he was confused , the trainer that raised the bear should have been the only one to work with the bear these animals are caged up all the time they not only need to be trained but need a lot of love that is what I observed

  2. I would guess that no animal trainer would want the animal responsible for their accidental death to be killed. These aren’t humans with a moral code, they’re wild animals. The trainers usually have the most respect for that, and realize that what they are doing is extremely dangerous.

    I’m all for the death penalty for humans, if that person has willingly killed with malicious intent. An animal is just acting like an animal. A 700lbs animal designed to kill other big animals too mind you. And his trainer was fully aware of that.

    There are rare cases, where the animal is no longer mentally sound, where perhaps it has become crazy and vicious. If that is the case, it should be put down. But more than likely this was a freak accident, which has come about purely due to the dangerous line of work.

  3. Two things.

    First, I recall this comedy routine from Joe Rogan. In it, he wonders why people hand feed sharks and pet bears on the head, then wonder why shark attacks and bear maulings are up. It’s because…”I’m a Shark! Munch! Munch! Munch! I’m a fucking bear! GROWWWLLLL!”

    I seen the videos where they are wrestling bears, tigers etc. If you don’t give Yogi his dinner he ain’t lookin’ for a damn picnic basket. He will take your arm. Tony the Tiger says fuck the frosted flakes, I’ll take the raw meat off your leg.

    Yes, it may have been an accident.
    But you play with matches…you get burned.

    Second, after appearing in Semi-Pro’ the bear was about ready to take its own life anyway. Might as well take the trainer with him.

  4. Movie animals are never animals that have been captured in the wild and then trained for movies. They are born and bread in captivity to ensure safety (not that it worked this time around). Releasing the animal in the wild would just as soon kill it because it has never had to hunt for itself and it would most likely be drawn to human settlements because that’s all it knows.

  5. The bear can’t be released into the wild as it was trained to perform, not hunt. It wouldn’t survive long in the wild. The bear will probably become part of a zoo exhibit.

  6. i dont think the bear should be killed, i feel sad for the traner and his family, but as a trainer he should have known that no matter how well the animal is trained is still has its animal instincts and can get pissed off and take a chunk out of your neck

  7. It’s so stupid to me. I’ve seen countless “when animals attack” shows, and people are always so surprised when it happens, like “It’s such a well-trained animal!”. You can train an animal all you want, it’s still a wild animal that can rip your ass apart at will.

  8. Well put, Kristina. It’s not the bear’s fault that people are assholes who decide it’s a great idea to tear a wild animal from its environment and try to train it for our own entertainment.

  9. Perhaps it’s impossible for a trained/tamed bear to be released into the wild – just like other animals. I don’t know for certain. I totally agree with what you said about humans playing with dangerous animals – but I also know that it could be just as dangerous NOT to put him down after he kills someone.

    @ Dr. Strangelove

    I think murderers (in MOST cases) should be executed. It’s self-defense for society. The only thing is it’s cheaper to keep a person in prison than it is to execute them – which I think is ridiculous.

  10. Good story… Sad but no way would the trainer want the bear to be put down… Obviously we dont know everytime but if the the bear continues to show agression then thats when it may have to be applied…

  11. Releasing the bear into the wild should also ensure that it never happens again. This is not a bear that entered a city to kill humans, he was wrestling/training with them and his strength overcame the man.

    The bear may not have known his own strength and could very well be just as sad as the family. The trainers love the animals and often the animals love the trainers. I want to be careful not to speculate – but the bear could have just fucked up horribly in the moment.

    Wisdom is needed in determining the fate of the animal. The other trainers and the family will know best. If sadness is in the eyes of the bear, I would suggest that he be loosed.

  12. Hey Doug,

    This is sad news indeed, but I agree with you 100 percent. The bear shouldn’t be put down. The bear was simply acting….LIKE A BEAR. I don’t think you can truly ever tame a wild animal….and although it’s sad for the trainer’s family, I’m sure the trainer knew the risk and this was always a possibility. Wow…this is really messed up! Great article for discussion and debate though! :)

  13. I agree with you Doug. Death is not a suitable result for this bear in which WE CAPTURED AND TRAINED. Again it’s humanity messing with things for our own entertaiment. If you mess with it you’re bound to eventually pay a price.

    It’s unfortunate and if the bear is put down for tasting human blood and can’t be released in the wild in really sucks. Like I said humans mess around with things too much.

  14. Doug, I think all of your statements on this are completely fair.

    However, maybe when they get the taste of blood (like a dog) they’re incurable?

    I’m all for death for the bear, it’s a sad thing but it DID kill his trainer. Death will ensure it does not happen again.

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