Clemency & Compassion for Rocky the Grizzly Bear

Dear San Bernadino County Animal Care Officials and the California Department of Fish & Game,

We, the undersigned, by way of this petition and the comments within, hereby request that officials please show compassionate, unending mercy for Rocky the grizzly bear's life.

Yesterday, April 22nd, at the Predators in Action training center, Rocky took a trainer's life. From all the information gathered via various news sources it was simply a freak occurrence; the kind that all trainers risk experiencing when working with wild animals. We all sympathize deeply with the family and friends of Stephan Miller, the trainer who lost his life, and it is perhaps their forgiveness and understanding above all others that Rocky needs most right now.

We hope that officials will act with the same infinite compassion that Siegfried & Roy treated Mantecore, the tiger which severely injured Roy Horn. It is obvious that Rocky will never again work in show business but we implore officials to seek alternative methods to euthanasia. Whether this be re-introduction into the wild or permanent residence at a wildlife sanctuary we leave to the knowledgeable experts, but we beg that Rocky be granted clemency nonetheless.

The closing to many news articles is a quote from Denise Richards, who works with Moonridge Zoo, an animal sanctuary, which reads, in part, "Even though it may appear that the bear attacked for no reason, there was a reason. I'm sure Randy [Miller, owner of Predators in Action] understands why it happened. They're not cold-blooded killers."

This last line underscores this entire petition and our singular desire of mercy. For as the death penalty in human crime is most often reserved for pre-meditated cold-blooded murder, we firmly believe that an exotic animal, out of its element, often engaged in situations which it could perceive as threatening, with no understanding of the consequences of one poor mistake, should not be punished for the crime of simply being a wild animal. Rocky, bless his great big bear heart, simply chose poorly.

The choice to save Rocky's life is an easy one to make. We understand the alternatives are much more complex, labor intensive and costly, but we believe Rocky is worth the extra effort. We hope that you, the county and state officials working this case, will come to believe so too.