Stephan Miller
Stephan K. Miller (May 6, 1968 – April 22, 2008) was an American animal trainer, wrangler and stunt double. Along with his cousin Randy Miller, Stephan was a trainer at Predators in Action, an animal training facility that trains wild and exotic animals for film and television appearances. Some of the films in which the animals trained by the facility have appeared include The Island of Dr. Moreau, Gladiator, The Postman, The Last Samurai, and Semi-Pro.
Predators in Action animals have also appeared on Discovery Channel and National Geographic Society programs in which they recreated famous animal attacks, including the mauling of Roy Horn by a white tiger.[1]
Death
On April 22, 2008, during a routine training exercise, Miller was mauled and killed by a 5-year old grizzly bear named Rocky.[2][3][4][5] Miller was not very familiar with Rocky and should play a casual ignorant role with him, in a moment Rocky stands up (trained wrestling position, they would start the stage attacked, which was not intended until later) and the bear was supposed to take him out or lick him again (Miller shows fear and raises his arm to the bear who take this to action).[6][7] The 7½ foot tall, 700 lb bear bit Miller on the neck once. An autopsy revealed that he died within minutes of the attack.[8][9]
Until Miller's death, Rocky was best known for appearing as Dewey the Killer Bear in a scene from the 2008 film Semi-Pro in which he wrestled Will Ferrell's body double Randy Miller.[3][5][10] Following Stephan Miller's death, the California Department of Fish and Game initiated a probe into the events of the attack with the intent to eventually decide whether Rocky would be euthanized.[9][11] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (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 zoo or another similar facility.[12][13][14]
It was later revealed on the National Geographic Channel program Grizzly Face to Face that the coroner's office and the California Department of Fish and Game ruled Miller's death accidental and did not order the bear to be euthanized. However, Rocky resumed his life under restricted regulations.[15]
Other ventures
In addition to his work with animals, Miller was also a co-publisher for the first three print issues of Girls and Corpses magazine with publisher/editor-in-chief Robert Steven Rhine, as well as being actively involved in the launch of the ShareNow social networking website.[16]
References
- ↑ Flaccus, Gillian. Trainer distraught over fatal bear attack; Canadian Online Explorer, April 24, 2008
- ↑ Bear gave off no reasons for concern before trainer's death; Associated Press, April 23, 2008
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hollywood film bear kills handler; BBC News, April 24, 2008
- ↑ Grizzly bear mauls trainer, Stephan Miller; Boston Herald, April 23, 2008
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Grizzly bear that appeared in Will Ferrell film kills trainer in California; Fox News Channel, April 23, 2008
- ↑ Exclusive interview SharedNow: Will Farrell's Grizzly Bear Exclusive
- ↑ Hollywood's Killer Bear National Geographic
- ↑ Flaccus, Gillian, Calif. opens inquiry into fatal grizzly bear attack; Fox News Channel, April 24, 2008
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 State opens probe into fatal bear attack; CNN, April 25, 2008
- ↑ Bone, James.Hollywood bear could be destroyed after killing trainer with a single bite; The Times, April 24, 2008
- ↑ Miquel Marquez, Rich McHugh, Olivia Sterna, Emily Friedman. Should Rocky the Bear be euthanized?; ABC News, April 23, 2008
- ↑ Wathne, Lisa.PETA urges Predators in action to retire Grizzly bear following fatal attack; PETA, April 23, 2008
- ↑ Kelly, David. Grizzly should not be killed, trainer's colleagues say; Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2008
- ↑ When movie animals go bad; The New Zealand Herald, May 3, 2008
- ↑ Grizzly Face to Face; National Geographic Channel
- ↑ Larocco, Paul. Bear attack sudden, inexplicable; The Press-Enterprise, April 23, 2008