Man Killed from Wrestling with a Bear

The owner of an exotic animal sanctuary is under fire after a young man is killed by a 350 pound bear when friendly play turned violent.  INSIDE EDITION has the story.

A savage attack at an exotic animal sanctuary outside Cleveland left a man brutally mauled by a bear.

24-year-old Brent Kandra suffered massive internal injuries after an 8-year-old, 350-pound black bear named Iroquois, turned on him.

The owner of the animal sanctuary, Sam Mazzola, witnessed the attack and called 911. Mazzola told The Today Show what started out as friendly play suddenly turned violent.

"Something went wrong, he panicked, and I panicked," said Mazzola.

Mazzola has come under fire from animal rights groups in the past for having bear wrestling acts at his sanctuary.

Mazzola stands by his safety record.

Kandra was rushed to a Cleveland medical center, and died hours later.