Friends and colleagues of an animal trainer killed by a performing bear called it a "freak accident" Wednesday and said the 700-pound grizzly should not be euthanized. The animal, they said, did not intend to kill the bear expert.
"The same thing he was doing I have done a hundred times. We wrestle the bears in a loving way," said Joel Almquist, an animal trainer who has worked extensively with Rocky, the 5-year-old grizzly who killed 39-year-old Stephan Miller on Tuesday with a single bite to the neck.
"This bear has never shown aggression," Almquist said. "It was a flash bite, a real quick . . . bam. Unfortunately, we are built like tissue paper compared to them."
At the same time Wednesday, animal rights advocates said the bear's owner had a history of neglecting his cast of exotic movie animals. They have called for the bear's retirement from showbiz.
Miller, a Canyon Country resident and father of two, was working with Rocky on a video shoot when the bear suddenly lunged. Two other trainers subdued the 7 1/2 -foot grizzly with pepper spray.
Miller was working for his cousin, Randy Miller, who owns Predators in Action. The company trains animals for television and films at a remote compound near Big Bear Lake. Rocky was recently featured in the Will Ferrell film "Semi-Pro."
A 911 recording documented desperate efforts to save Stephan Miller before paramedics arrived, according to the Associated Press.
"He's bleeding heavily from his neck. . . . We need someone here immediately," a woman told the operator, who directed emergency procedures while determining that the bear was contained.
"We gotcha, holding on to you, man," a male voice said before it was clear Miller was no longer breathing.
The recording ended with the woman counting chest compressions and the breathing cycle of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
At least one animal rights group was quick to criticize the company Wednesday.
"These are wild animals, and it doesn't surprise us one bit when one of them lashes out. It's not uncommon," said Lisa Wathne, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "We are asking that Mr. Miller retire this animal from show business and put him in a sanctuary."
PETA released inspection reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture citing Randy Miller for keeping animals in small enclosures without roofs, keeping them in pens with ripped plywood and improperly storing food. One report dated January 2007 said there was 4 to 5 inches of snow inside a lion's cage which the animal could not get away from. A USDA spokesman could not be reached for comment.
