Remember this scene from Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro?
Rocky, the bear in the film, attacked and killed his trainer on Tuesday evening.
The incident occurred near Big Bear Lake mountain resort, east of Los Angeles, at Randy Miller's Predators in Action, a facility where wild animals are trained for television and film roles.
The 700-pound, 7 1/2-foot-tall grizzly reportedly bit trainer Stephan Miller, 39, on the neck. Two trainers at the facility subdued Rocky with pepper spray and were unharmed, but Miller died at the scene.
A neighbor said the victim's cousin came to their house and told them they had been filming an advertisement when the incident occurred. Rocky had previously been in the films Semi-Pro and The Last Samurai, among others.
"They were filming [the advertisement] and the bear started licking [Miller's] face and then all of a sudden it just bit him," the neighbor relayed. "[Miller's cousin] was just really upset and didn't know why it happened."
Paramedics arrived approximately 30 minutes after the attack, but they were unable to revive Miller.
Wardens of the California state Fish and Game Department examined the enclosed compound and the five-year-old bear, but spokesman Harry Morse said no permit violations or dangers to public safety were found.
The fate of the bear is still up in the air, though, as the incident occurred on a private site, outside of the jurisdiction of the California state Fish and Game Department. Kate McGuire, spokeswoman for the state Department of Industrial Relations, said the state occupational safety officials are also sending an investigator to see if they have jurisdiction.
Authorities have said that as long as there is no wrongdoing, the owners can decide whether to destroy or keep Rocky alive. The Sheriff's Department is conduction an investigation, but not a criminal probe, said spokeswoman Jodi Miller.
The bear is not known to have been involved in any other mishaps and Predators in Action, which first received a permit in 1992, also has a clean record. Two brown bears, a black bear, a lopard, a mountain lion, four African lions, four tigers, an alligator, a crocodile and other snakes and reptiles are currently at the facility.
Friends of Randy Miller called him an experienced, top-class trainer dedicated to safety and caring for his animals.
"He has a perfect safety record. He's always on the ball, making sure everything is extra safe," said Chemaine Almquist, founder of Forever Wild, an exotic animal center in Phelan, and a close personal friend of the victim. "He's always the one who says, 'You've got to do this, check the locks twice, you gotta wear pepper spray.' When I first found out, I was ready to throw up."
According to Denise Richards of Moonridge Zoo, a sanctuary for injured and homeless animals at Big Bear Lake, it's hard to determine why Rocky attacked.
"You can train them and use as many safety precautions as you can, but you're still taking a chance if you're putting yourself in contact with them," Richards said. "It's still a wild animal. Even though it may appear that the bear attacked for no reason, there was a reason. ... They're not cold-blooded killers."
Will Ferrell, Rocky's co-star in Semi-Pro, is shooting a film and unavailable for comment, his publicist said.
