Performing bear mauls man to death at wrestling ringmaster's house

A US man was mauled to death by a bear whose owner staged wrestling shows between animals and humans. Brent Kandra, a 24-year-old caretaker, died on Friday morning at MetroHealth medical centre, the coroner's office in Cleveland, Ohio, said. He had been taken by medical helicopter after the Thursday evening attack in Columbia township, south-west of Cleveland.



Deputies who responded said the bear had been contained in its cage without further problems. The bear is owned by Sam Mazzola, who used to offer people the chance to pay to wrestle a black bear at the annual Cleveland Sport, Travel & Outdoor Show, the sheriff's office said. Mr Mazzola's property houses a menagerie including several bears, 20 wolves, lions and tigers. Officials said the bear in the attack south-west of Cleveland had not been used for wrestling.

The bear was out of its cage for its feeding, "which was normal for this particular bear because the caretaker and the owner had been around it so much," said James Drozdowski, the Lorain county sheriff's captain. Mr Mazzola used a fire extinguisher to force the bear back into its cage, he said. "We don't know whether something startled the bear or what prompted the bear to get aggressive with the caretaker," Capt Drozdowski said. "We do know that it got aggressive with the caretaker and mauled him severely." There are no plans to euthanise the bear, he said. Authorities will investigate before deciding on any criminal charges.



People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal rights group, four years ago made Mr Mazzola a focus of its national efforts to ban bear wrestling and demanded that the US Department of Agriculture take away his licence to exhibit exotic animals. Mr Mazzola said at the time that bear wrestling had been part of his business, World Animal Studios Inc., for more than 20 years and that he had no intention of stopping.