Grizzly bear kills man at Southern California training site

The Associated Press ^ | 4-22-2008

[george76]

A grizzly bear that appeared in a recent Will Ferrell movie killed a 39-year-old trainer with a bite to his neck Tuesday ...

Three experienced handlers ...Rocky is 7 1/2 feet tall, weighs 700 pounds ...

Randy Miller also said, "If one of these animals gets a hold of your throat, you're finished,"...

"You can train them and use as many safety precautions as you can, but you're still taking a chance if you're putting yourself in contact with them," Richards said. "It's still a wild animal.

Even though it may appear that the bear attacked for no reason, there was a reason.

[catbertz]

Ouch.

[nothingnew]

I'm sure Randy understands why it happened. They're not cold-blooded killers."

Right. OK then.

FMCDH(BITS)

[Slump Tester]

"The center's staff used pepper spray to subdue and contain the bear and there were no other injuries, she said."

Why didn't they just shoot the damn thing? If it's dead it can't kill anyone else.

[Inyo-Mono]

Randy Miller has 25 years of experience training animals and his facility has had a perfect safety record, according to the Web site.

[SeaHawkFan]

"I'm sure Randy understands why it happened. They're not cold-blooded killers."

He right; they aren't cold-blooded killers. They're warm-blooded killers. Thought everyone knew that.

[Antonello]

Why didn't they just shoot the damn thing? If it's dead it can't kill anyone else.

Because it is very valuable property. You don't knock down a building just because someone falls off the roof, even if that is the surest way to keep anyone else from falling.

[Jeff Chandler]

Rocky is 7 1/2 feet tall, weighs 700 pounds ...

In related news, it's been reported that the Phoenix Suns have contacted Rocky's agent...

[Jeff Chandler]

his facility has had a perfect safety record

Hey, everybody has a bad day once in a while.

[wardaddy]

They're not cold-blooded killers

they are just killers period....they do it for food or for the hell of it.....like Idi Amin or Dahmer

if they feel nice that day or year or lifetime, they let you live and hang out...a bad day and they bite your neck off.

it's not personal, it just is

[miliantnutcase]

It’s a freakin bear! Bears kill stuff. That’s what God designed them to do.

[hosepipe]

There are no Old Grizzly Bear tamers..
You cannot tame a "Griz" for longer than a couple of minutes..

[AlmaKing]

Fhrst thing that came to my mind was Shaq vs Rocky...

[I still care]

“They’re not cold-blooded killers.”

Of course they are. That’s the essence of being an animal.

I have two akita mixes, brothers. They got in a fight over a toy one day, and #1 tore the top of the other’s scalp off. The vet sewed it together with many stitches but #2 now has a face lift. No wrinkles anymore.

It cost several weeks pay to fix it, and five minutes after they are playing like nothing happened. It’s nothing personal. You took my toy, and I’ll bite your head off.

And these are not even bears, they are dogs.

[trumandogz]

I was thinking Jerry Jones would sign Rocky to play Defensive Line for the Cowboys.

[Nailbiter]

ping

[dragnet2]

I guess you missed this part where he stated:

"You can train them and use as many safety precautions as you can, but you're still taking a chance if you're putting yourself in contact with them, Richards said".

[Pajama Blogger]

Some days you eat the bear. Some days...........

[Mercat]

our dog is an australian cattle dog - part dingo. he clearly has that wild side and we recognized that we had to make him totally submissive to us or he would eat our granddaughter. seriously. so now he’s totally submissive to her - she’s 7 and a great pack leader. Bears are not pack animals.

[Pylon]

Hold muah bear

[garylmoore]

Do they really think that they will get somebody to make another movie with this vicious killer?

[depenzz]

I had an akita for 14 years, he was bad, had to watch him when strangers were around. He would have killed to protect me (and sometimes I questioned how he took me lol) He was buddies with a Himalayan cat I had, they were sincere budies)

[Nachoman]

Even though it may appear that the bear attacked for no reason, there was a reason.

Bitter contract dispute?

[Mila]

""You can train them and use as many safety precautions as you can, but you're still taking a chance if you're putting yourself in contact with them," Richards said. "It's still a wild animal. Even though it may appear that the bear attacked for no reason, there was a reason. I'm sure Randy understands why it happened. They're not cold-blooded killers."

In other words, a bear just being a bear.

[Northern Yankee]

That was my feeling.

Shoot the damned thing. But gee... that might be insensitive....

Now I know why I don't train grizzlies. ;)

[Jimmy Valentine]

Well, good point.

Question: Who gets into the cage with Rocky next?

[RichInOC]

No! Bad teddy!

[Rebelbase]

Looks pretty tame to me.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Rocky the grizzly bear is seen at the Forever Wild animal sanctuary in Phelan, Calif. in Nov. 2007. The grizzly bear which appeared in a recent Will Ferrell movie killed a 39-year-old trainer with a bite to his neck Tuesday April 22, 2008 and had to be subdued with pepper spray. Three experienced handlers were working with the bear at Randy Miller's Predators in Action facility when the bear bit 39-year-old Stephan Miller on the neck, said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers. (AP Photo/Christina Bush)

[metmom]

Just release it somewhere way far out in the wild. It only did what bears do.

Didn’t anyone tell these folks that grizzlies do this sort of thing?

Morons

[Hacklehead]

“our dog is an australian cattle dog - part dingo. he clearly has that wild side and we recognized that we had to make him totally submissive to us or he would eat our granddaughter. seriously. so now he’s totally submissive to her - she’s 7 and a great pack leader. Bears are not pack animals.”

I had a friend that thought the same way. He made his dog completely submissive to his 7 year old and thought he was a “pack leader”. The trouble is that dogs do not elect “pack leaders for life”. Dogs challenge each other constantly and when the opportunity arose the dog tore a large hole in the boys face. Then he was the pack leader, until he was put down the next day.

[Mercat]

I understand that. We don’t allow close unsupervised contact. She sometimes wants to push the limits and we always keep an eye out for that. He’s a really great dog. Once, he chased an intruder out of our home and then hid under a sofa table the rest of the night. I think he was afraid of what we would do to him because he had attacked a human.

[george76]

“They’re not cold-blooded killers.”

[george76]

Darwin Award ?

[metmom]

It sure should rate in my book.

[Enchante]

I would certainly rely on Denise Richards’ expertise to re-assure me that a ‘trained’ grizzly bear cannot be a “cold-blooded killer.” fwiw, I think I’d rather play “Russian roulette” than mess with a grizzly bear, trained or not.

[ReagansShinyHair]

You don't knock down a building just because someone falls off the roof

You do if the building starts walking around eating people. I'm just sayin'.

[Darren McCarty]

Bears doing what bears do. It’s best when bears have a healthy fear and respect of people. It’s best when people have a respect for bears. For example, I don’t feed bears.