 Police in northern Ohio are investigating the third fatal bear attack in the United States this year. Mark Duncan/AP Photo Lorain County Sheriff's deputies secure an... View Full Caption Lorain County Sheriff's deputies secure an exotic animal farm Friday, Aug. 20, 2010, in Columbia Station, Ohio, where a 24-year-old man was severely injured by a bear Thursday night. The sheriff's office says the bear is owned by Sam Mazzola, who at one time offered people the chance to wrestle a black bear at a Cleveland expo. Twenty-four-year-old Brent Kandra was killed when a bear attacked during feeding. The bear named Iroquois was euthanized Saturday at the request of Kandra's family.
– Despite the fact that one of his bears killed caretaker Brent Kandra, Sam Mazzola insists his exotic animal compound is safe and says he will make no changes. He and the rest of his handlers believe the attack was simply an accident and could have happened to any of them, the AP reports. “This was his choice," Mazzola recently told Good Morning America. "If we get injured, it's no different than an airline pilot getting injured." Mazzola claims the bear—Kandra’s favorite—was just playing with Kandra. "The food was already there. I mean the bear wasn't even interested. He was interested in playing with Brent. And when it was time for him to leave, the bear didn't want him to go and just grabbed him," he says. The bear was euthanized Saturday at the request of Kandra’s family, the AP adds.