An animal trainer tragically lost his life after being attacked by a grizzly bear he had raised since childhood during a stunt gone wrong.
Stephan Miller, 39, was assisting at his cousin’s animal training center, Randy Miller’s Predators in Action, in the San Bernardino mountains near Los Angeles, when the incident occurred. He was involved in filming a promotional video with Rocky, a 7.5ft tall grizzly bear weighing approximately 50 stone, due to his expertise in working with bears and entertainment.
Rocky, a five-year-old grizzly bear accustomed to human interaction, had previously appeared in the 2008 movie Semi-Pro, where Stephan served as a body double for Will Ferrell. However, during the filming of what was supposed to be a playful advertisement, Rocky suddenly attacked Stephan, biting him in a vulnerable area.
Despite efforts to subdue the bear with pepper spray and quick actions by handlers to remove Rocky, Stephan could not be revived and succumbed to the injuries within minutes of the attack, leaving behind a wife and two children.
Randy, who had been raising exotic animals for over 25 years and specialized in staged attacks for entertainment purposes, expressed the rapid and unfortunate nature of the incident. He outlined the planned interaction between Stephan and Rocky, highlighting the bear’s friendly demeanor and the safety precautions taken before the unexpected attack.
Following the investigation by the state’s Department of Fish and Game and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, amid calls from animal rights groups, Rocky was spared from being euthanized and relocated to an animal sanctuary in California. The training center, which had the necessary permits for filming, housed a variety of animals including brown bears, a black bear, snakes, reptiles, an alligator, crocodile, leopard, mountain lion, African lions, and tigers.
Hollywood filmmaker Nick Palumbo, a friend of Stephan and Randy, expressed his deep sorrow over the tragic event, emphasizing Stephan’s bond with the bear and the unintended nature of the attack.
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