Showbiz Bear Kills Trainer

A grizzly bear used in movies attacked and killed its trainer yesterday in California, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 700-pound bear, which appeared in a recent Will Ferrell movie Semi-Pro, lunged at the 39-year-old man and bit him in the neck. Staff at the animal training center managed to subdue the animal with pepper spray. The trainer was pronounced dead at the scene.

The facility where the bear was housed, Predators in Action, trains animals, including grizzlies, lions, tigers and wolves, for showbiz appearances, and had a perfect safety record  until now. It's not known why the 5-year-old bear, Rocky, attacked. The facility is owned by the dead trainer's cousin, a stuntman who wrestled Rocky himself in Semi-Pro. The bear's fate is yet to be decided. (More grizzly bear stories.)