A grizzly bear featured in the recent Will Ferrell film Semi-Pro and touted as one of the ”best trained” in show business has killed its handler, but officials said on Wednesday they were puzzled by what provoked the attack.
The 317kg bear, which stands 2,2km tall, bit Stephan Miller (39) in the neck on Tuesday at a facility where wild animals are trained for film and TV productions near the mountain resort of Big Bear Lake, east of Los Angeles.
Two other trainers at the facility, called Randy Miller’s Predators in Action, subdued the bear with pepper spray and were unhurt in the incident, said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Arden Wiltshire.
The enclosed compound and the bear, a five-year-old male named Rocky, were examined afterward by wardens of the California state Fish and Game Department, which found no permit violations or danger to public safety, agency spokesperson Harry Morse said.
Authorities said that assuming no wrongdoing turns up in the investigation, it would be left up to the owners of the bear to decide whether to destroy it or keep it alive. – Reuters