Bear kills trainer

April 23rd, 2008 at 08:21am Wally Haas

I saw this story on the Tribune’s Web site this morning: Bear that wrestled Will Ferrell in movie kills trainer.

I’ve wrestled a bear twice. Once in 1977 when I was in Champaign, young fit and ready to take on the world, and once in Rockford at the MetroCentre, older, not as fit, ready to sit at a desk, in the mid-’80s.

It was the same bear both times. He weighed a bit more than 500 pounds during the first match and was well over 600 when I wrestled him a second time. I was never worried that the bear would hurt me.  I remember my son took a ride on the bear’s back after the match and my daughter was thrilled to pet him.

I guess you never know what an animal will do. Siegfried and Roy can probably relate to that.

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