April 23, 2008 - Grizzly Bear Kills Trainer

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April 23, 2008 – A grizzly bear that recently made an appearance in Will Ferrell’s new film, “Semi-Pro”, attacked and killed his trainer yesterday at the Predators In Action training center in San Bernardino County, California.

“Rocky”, a 5-year old male grizzly, that reportedly stands 7 ½ feet tall and weighs 700 pounds, was described recently as “the best working bear in the business” by the training center’s owner, Randy Miller. The bear evidently gave no warning whatsoever prior to fatally attacking handler Stephen Miller, who was Randy’s cousin, during the taping of an exhibition video on Tuesday. Several trainers, all of them experienced, were present and also working with Rocky at the time of the attack. They were able to subdue the bear with pepper spray, and there were no other injuries.

Predators In Action houses one other grizzly bear, in addition to lions, tigers, leopards and wolves, all of which are trained at the facility for use in television programs and motion pictures, as well as educational videos. A spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game said that the facility has a good safety record, having received only one citation, back in 1999, when animal rights groups called in complaints because Randy Miller was staging an exhibition wrestling match between another grizzly bear and a man. Miller received a permit for the exhibition from Los Angeles County officials despite the fact that the match violated California state law.

Randy Miller acted as the stand-in for Will Ferrell during a scene in “Semi-Pro” in which Ferrell’s character wrestles with Rocky. Miller’s animals have appeared in numerous Hollywood pictures, including the Island of Dr. Moreau, The Postman, The Last Samurai, and in the 2000 hit Gladiator, which earned him a World Stunt Academy Award for his work wrestling with tigers.

Located in the mountains east of L.A., the Predators In Action training facility is outside of the jurisdiction of the California Department of Fish and Game, which leaves Rocky’s fate in the hands of San Bernardino County’s Animal Care and Control Program. It is not clear at this time whether the bear will be euthanized. Trainers say that Rocky exhibited no unusual behavior in the days leading up to the attack, and appeared to have received no provocation nor done anything that would have warned of the deadly attack.

Trainer Stephen Miller was 39.