An animal trainer died as he attempted to film a video with a bear, and his final moments were caught on camera.
Stephan Miller, an experienced animal trainer, lost his life after a sudden attack by Rocky, a trained 700lb grizzly bear, per the Mirror.
The pair were filming a promotional video at the Predators in Action facility in West Virginia.
Stephan had worked at the training center, run by his cousin Randy Miller, for several years before taking a break.
He had been called back to assist with the filming due to his extensive experience working with bears. Rocky, the bear involved in the incident, was no stranger to performing.
The animal had previously been trained to wrestle humans and had even appeared in the 2008 film Semi-Pro, where it wrestled Randy, who served as a body double for actor Will Ferrell.
Randy Miller explained to TODAY.com that Rocky had been trained to act “playful” on cue, and the animal had bonded with Stephan in the past.
Randy noted that all necessary precautions had been taken prior to the filming. However, things did not go as planned.
“We brought the bear out, we got the bear next to him, and the bear was supposed to start out next to him,” Randy told ShareNow.com.
“Then they would start the staged attack — the bear was supposed to take him out. The bear basically, I think, caught him off guard.”
The situation quickly spiraled out of control. Rocky bit Stephan in the neck, a vulnerable spot, and despite the crew’s attempts to stop the bear with pepper spray, the attack happened too quickly.
Randy described the events as happening “so fast,” with the bear biting Stephan in a matter of seconds.
Although the crew managed to pull Rocky away, it was too late. A post-mortem examination revealed that Stephan died within minutes of the bite.
Paramedics arrived on the scene around 3:00PM, but were unable to revive him.
Despite witnessing the horrific attack, Randy has no resentment towards Rocky. He described the bear as “a loving, affectionate, friendly, safe bear,” maintaining that the bear did not intend to harm Stephan.
An official investigation by the California Department of Fish and Game concluded that Stephan’s death was accidental.
This finding prompted calls from animal rights activists to spare Rocky from euthanasia, arguing that the bear should be allowed to live out his life in retirement at a sanctuary or zoo, rather than being put down.
Authorities ultimately agreed to spare Rocky’s life under the condition that he would no longer have any contact with humans other than his trainers due to the potential danger he could pose.