A GRIZZLY bear that appeared in a recent Hollywood film killed a 39-year-old trainer with a bite to his neck and had to be subdued with pepper spray.
Three experienced handlers were working with the bear on Tuesday at Randy Miller's Predators in Action centre when the bear bit 39-year-old Stephan Miller on the neck, said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers.
The centre's s
taff used pepper spray to subdue and contain the bear and there were no other injuries, she said.
Sheriff's Sergeant Dave Phelps said the bear is a five-year-old male named Rocky.
The Predators in Action website says Rocky is 7½ feet tall, weighs 700lb and appeared in scenes in the film Semi-Pro, in which Will Ferrell's character wrestles a bear to promote his basketball team.
In a February interview, Randy Miller – the dead man's cousin – called Rocky "the best working bear in the business."
In the same interview, Mr Miller also said: "If one of these animals gets a hold of your throat, you're finished."
The centre, east of Los Angeles, says it has two grizzlies and also trains lions, tigers, leopards, cougars and wolves for uses ranging from film and TV to advertising and education.
It was not immediately clear what would happen to the bear.
