Rocky Kills

In a not-too-surprising revelation, in the wake of an escaped tiger killing a man at the San Francisco Zoo, perhaps a few cold glasses of water in modern human’s faces are that, yes, wild animals are strong and do kill.

For a moment, ponder this: If people can’t consider the realities of the animals in their midst, how are they to understand those cryptids that are just beyond their knowing?

Rocky, a five-year-old bear that has starred in big-name Hollywood films, bit trainer Stephan Miller on the neck during filming at an animal training center in California. The bear, who weighs nearly 800lbs, is said to have bit Miller during “playful” wrestling.

Stephan Miller’s cousin, Randy, set up the “Predators in Action” training center, and said that Rocky was a “loving, affectionate, friendly, safe bear.” Randy said that the bear “hit him in a very vulnerable spot.”

(This sounds like the kind of comments you hear from people that talk about the school shooter as the “nice kid next door.” – Loren)

“It happened so fast. We did what we had to do to stop the bear. It took a matter of seconds to get him off, but it was too late,” Randy told press.

Paramedics arrives shortly after, and pepper spray was used to subdue the bear, however it was too late and Miller could not be revived.

At the time of the accident, Rocky was being filmed for a promotional video for the center, which is located in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Rocky most recently appeared in the movie Semi Pro, where he wrestled Will Ferrell’s character.

Rocky’s fate is unknown. The Department of Fish and Game spokesperson said that they would not decide whether or not to euthanize him because the attack occurred outside its jurisdiction. It is believed that the country animal care officials will decide what happens to Rocky. Because the incident occurred on private property outside the jurisdiction of state authorities, it is up to the center to decide what will happen. Had it occurred elsewhere, the state would have had the power to destroy the bear.

{Thanks to field correspondent E. Livada for bringing this story to my attention.}

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.

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