Yesterday a very famous bear caused a very big tragedy. Rocky, most recently seen wrestling Will Ferrell in the movie “Semi-Pro”, killed one of his trainers with a quick bite to the neck.
Stephan Miller was a skilled and experienced trainer, and Rocky was a skilled and experienced bear. But there is one huge difference between the two: Rocky is a wild animal whose actions cannot be predicted like those of humans.
Stephan’s death is extremely tragic; there is no disputing that. But there are other tragedies here. One is that Rocky is kept for human amusement and a big paycheck for Randy Miller, who owns the training facility where Rocky resides. One is that there is a very real possibility that Rocky will be put to death for doing something instinctual. Another is that Rocky has never lived a free life in the wild of the sort that bears are meant to have.
Virginia McKenna, founder of the wildlife charity Born Free, said it best:
"The movie industry urgently needs to use its technological and creative imagination to put an end to the use of live wild animals in commercials and movies. Hollywood is a dream factory -- this time the dream has become a nightmare."
A nightmare for everyone involved -- for Stephan Miller, for his cousin Randy and the rest of Miller’s family, for Rocky, whose short life will also probably come to an end soon, and for all wild animals kept in captivity for non-conservation purposes.
