Sam Mazola's Bear Kills Man
POSTED BY VINCE GRZEGOREK ON FRI, AUG 20, 2010 AT 9:08 AM
http://www.clevescene.com/images/blogimages/2010/08/20/1282308497-sam-mazola.jpgBrent Kandra, the worker who was mauled on Thursday by a bear owned by Sam Mazola at Mazola's Columbia Station home, has died.
It's the latest in a long string of legal and safety issues Mazola has faced with the wild animals — lions, tigers, and bears — that he's kept at his home and an animal sanctuary in Ohio.
19 Action News reports that Lorain County Sheriffs say Mazola had all the proper paperwork to house the animals.
Unfortunately, that might not be enough.
If you're not familiar with Mazola — and geez, you should be by now — he's infamous around Northeast Ohio for World Animal Studios, his former bear wrestling and animal act that landed Mazola in endless hot water with authorities over the past three decades.
This site breaks down the infractions, police reports, investigations, convictions, and various legal issues Mazola's bears and his act have caused in the past. There are at least 27 incidents involving everything from USDA citations to injuries caused by his bears during wrestling acts.
It all makes you think it was just a matter of time before someone died, even if what happened to Brent Kandra Thursday was simply a tragic accident.