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supplied testimony that Rocky was not dangerous; a petition drive had shown that many persons from around the world supported his return to work; and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture had cleared him to work, with the only remaining restrictions being in California, the location of most available work for Rocky. Following a hearing on October 3, 2012, the Commission decided not to remove Rocky's permit restrictions. In 2022, Rocky was relocated to a large animal sanctuary in Alpine, California.
167:'s body double Randy Miller. Stephan Miller had asked to be filmed wrestling Rocky for an advertisement. Although Stephan Miller had not been involved in training Rocky, Randy Miller agreed to the request because Stephan Miller was an experienced trainer and had also recently been in a photoshoot with Rocky and gotten to know him slightly.
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without his arm raised in the proper defensive position. Randy Miller then hit Rocky with a cane, trying to make him let go of
Stephan, an action that Randy later said might have unwittingly escalated the bear attack. The 7.5-foot (2.3 m)-tall, 700-pound (320 kg) bear bit Stephan Miller on the neck once, piercing his
89:
Miller had worked as a trainer at
Predators in Action, an animal training facility operated by his paternal cousin, Randy Miller, who trains wild and exotic animals for film and television appearances. At the time of his death, Miller was not working as a trainer, but was attempting to perform a bear
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The plan was to first take some shots of
Stephan Miller and Rocky casually standing next to each other and then later begin the staged wrestling match. However, during the initial shots, Rocky stood up in his trained wrestling posture and began the staged attack too early, catching Miller off guard
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Miller was an experienced animal trainer who had worked for
Predators in Action for several years before leaving to pursue other business ventures. Although he was not the trainer for the bear that killed him, he was experienced with bears, having helped Randy Miller raise and train a previous bear
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In 2012, the
California Fish and Game Commission considered whether to lift the restrictions on Rocky's permit to allow him to again work in the state of California. According to Randy Miller and Rocky's legal team, new safety protocols had been put in place; other animal trainers and experts had
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ruled Miller's death accidental and did not order that the bear be euthanized. However, Rocky was required to live under restrictions and was no longer able to have contact with persons other than his trainers. He could no longer be exhibited or used for film or TV work. In
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named Rocky. Rocky was a bear actor who had been trained to wrestle humans. At that time, the bear was already in the public eye, appearing in movie theaters as "Dewey the Killer Bear" in the film
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218:, Randy Miller stated that he planned to continue working with Rocky and try to get the restrictions lifted because he believed that Stephan would have wanted that.
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194:(PETA) and other animal rights groups, who have long protested use of wild animals in films, called for Rocky to be spared and to be allowed to retire to a
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Trainers Want Bear Spared: Slain Man's
Colleagues Say the Grizzly Who Killed Him Is Not Aggressive and Should Not Be Euthanized
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On April 22, 2008, while filming a promotional video at the
Predators in Action facility, Miller was killed by a 5-year old
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initiated a probe into the events of the attack with the intent to eventually decide whether Rocky would be euthanized.
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202:
134:
282:
Flaccus, Gillian, "Animal
Trainer Distraught Over Fatal Bear Attacks," Aiken (S.C.) Standard, April 25, 2008, p. 7C.
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named Dakota. Films in which animals trained by the facility appeared (including after Miller's departure) include
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In addition to his work with animals, Miller was also a co-publisher for the first three print issues of
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520:, April 23, 2008. Originally published at PETA.com, archived at yubanet.com, accessed May 18, 2015.
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581:"Lions in 'Gambit' Movie Were Trained By Man Whose Bear Attacked and Killed His Cousin"
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programs in which they recreated famous animal attacks, including the mauling of
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627:, April 23, 2008. Archived at archive.org Dec. 7, 2008, accessed May 18, 2015.
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163:, which went into wide release just seven weeks earlier, in which he wrestled
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PETA urges
Predators in action to retire Grizzly bear following fatal attack
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Grizzly bear that appeared in Will Ferrell film kills trainer in California
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Hollywood bear could be destroyed after killing trainer with a single bite
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610:, sandiegouniontribune.com, June 7, 2022, accessed September 7, 2023.
303:(television documentary). United States: National Geographic Channel.
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238:, as well as being actively involved in the launch of the ShareNow
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Sharon Petzold (producer-writer), Sue Houghton (director) (2010).
590:, ad-international.org, November 19, 2012, accessed May 17, 2015.
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601:“Bear retires from film, finds new home at Alpine sanctuary”
570:, Americanalbacore.com, Oct. 3, 2012, accessed May 17, 2015.
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Miquel Marquez, Rich McHugh, Olivia Sterna, Emily Friedman.
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Movie star grizzly bear kills trainer with bite to the neck
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Bear gave off no reasons for concern before trainer's death
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who was killed by a bear while making a promotional video.
472:; FoxNews.com, April 24, 2008, accessed May 18, 2015.
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revealed that he died within minutes of the attack.
129:. Predators in Action animals have also appeared on
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Calif. opens inquiry into fatal grizzly bear attack
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330:; Lodi (Cal.) News-Sentinel, April 23, 2008, p. 2.
442:SharedNow exclusive interview with Randy Miller,
433:(London), April 24, 2008, accessed May 17, 2015.
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74:(May 6, 1968 – April 22, 2008) was an American
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301:Grizzly Face to Face: Hollywood Bear Tragedy
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207:Grizzly Face to Face: Hollywood Bear Tragedy
90:wrestling stunt supervised by Randy Miller.
192:People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
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537:, April 24, 2008, accessed May 18, 2015.
234:magazine with publisher/editor-in-chief
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211:California Department of Fish and Game
188:California Department of Fish and Game
186:Following Stephan Miller's death, the
559:California Fish and Game Commission,
444:Will Farrell's Grizzly Bear Exclusive
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651:Predators in Action official website
483:Should Rocky the Bear be euthanized?
16:American animal trainer (1968–2008)
561:Agenda for Meeting of Oct. 3, 2012
209:that the coroner's office and the
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625:The Press-Enterprise (California)
343:Hollywood film bear kills handler
621:Bear attack sudden, inexplicable
579:Animal Defenders International,
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693:Filmed deaths of entertainers
546:"When Movie Animals Go Bad,"
201:It was later revealed on the
198:or another similar facility.
468:September 24, 2015, at the
203:National Geographic Channel
135:National Geographic Society
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688:Deaths due to bear attacks
606:September 7, 2023, at the
488:September 9, 2023, at the
678:American stunt performers
599:San Diego Union Tribune,
348:January 6, 2009, at the
102:The Island of Dr. Moreau
586:March 8, 2016, at the
566:March 5, 2016, at the
548:The New Zealand Herald
512:March 4, 2016, at the
94:Animal training career
449:May 10, 2016, at the
425:May 18, 2015, at the
381:Daily News (New York)
375:May 18, 2015, at the
326:May 15, 2024, at the
401:May 1, 2008, at the
216:Grizzly Face to Face
236:Robert Steven Rhine
461:Flaccus, Gillian,
535:Los Angeles Times
383:, April 23, 2008.
262:Timothy Treadwell
240:social networking
232:Girls and Corpses
131:Discovery Channel
72:Stephan K. Miller
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55:(2008-04-22)
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673:2008 deaths
668:1968 births
257:Bear danger
252:Bear attack
143:white tiger
114:The Postman
45:May 6, 1968
662:Categories
268:References
62:Occupation
41:1968-05-06
431:The Times
242:website.
108:Gladiator
604:Archived
584:Archived
564:Archived
533: ;
510:Archived
494:ABC News
486:Archived
466:Archived
447:Archived
423:Archived
399:Archived
373:Archived
354:BBC News
346:Archived
324:Archived
246:See also
205:program
160:Semi-Pro
139:Roy Horn
126:Semi-Pro
80:wrangler
181:autopsy
123:, and
82:, and
179:. An
149:Death
141:by a
644:IMDb
518:PETA
175:and
133:and
50:Died
31:Born
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196:zoo
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