Federal authorities say that the fatal mauling of a Montana animal trainer could have been prevented if the proper rules and regulations were followed, according to the Associated Press.
24-year old Benjamin Cloutier was fatally attacked in November by two 500-pound Syrian brown bears. Cloutier had been cleaning the bears’ pens at Animals of Montana—which offers its animals for photo shoots and motion pictures.
State officials said that the private menagerie where the tragedy occurred has been victim to many animal escapes.
According to the United States Department of Labor, the company is facing a proposed $9,000 fine for having employees come in direct contact with bears and for their slackness in reporting Cloutier’s death.
According to Jeff Funke, area director for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the death would not have occurred if the bears were kept in a different area during while Cloutier performed his duties.
"Those types of apex predators, it's common knowledge that they're dangerous," said Funke. "If this were a (captive) bird or a raven or something else it would have been a different story."
Troy Hyde, owner of Animals of Montana, said that placing its trainers in the animals’ cages was “absolutely something we must do."
"We work inside a business that's a highly dangerous business, and everybody that works within this business is very aware of the dangers," he said. "Those people don't understand what we do. We're not a zoo."
Hyde claimed that Cloutier may have tripped and became unconscious because he had no defensive wounds. Funke said investigators did not dismiss the claim but never found any evidence to support a fall.
"From our perspective it was clearly an attack from a bear," Funke said.
One bear, named Griz, was shot by head trainer Demetri Price at the scene of the attack. Montana wildlife officials requested the other bear, Yosemite, also be put down but the company declined. According to Price, Yosemite may have been a bystander since he had no blood on him.
The company said its bears are used for “attack re-enactments” during films. Trainers usually act as stuntmen during the films.
According to Andrea Jones with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, state wildlife officials said Yosemite is no longer allowed to work offsite.
Jones also explained that the state investigation into the incident revealed numerous unreported animal escapes including a black panther, a pair of breeding lions, and a wolf pup. Since many of the company's violations occurred years ago they cannot be penalized for them. However, Jones said that further violations would put the company at risk of losing its permit.
According to Price, Cloutier had worked for Animals of Montana for five years. He had been in the enclosure countless times.
According to Park County officials, the death was accidental. Therefore, no one was charged with a crime.
