Man dies after bear mauling in Lorain County, 911 calls released

COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio - A 24-year-old man has died after being mauled by a bear Thursday night, according to the Lorain County Coroner's office.

The victim of the attack, Brent R. Kandra, of Elyria, died after being flown to MetroHealth by medical helicopter. The attack occurred around 7:30 p.m. at an exotic animal facility on Marks Road in Columbia Station in Lorain County.

A post on Kandra's Facebook page Friday morning read, "This is Brent's mom letting everyone know that Brent passed away last night at 1:31am at Cleveland Metro Hospital. He was full of life, had a wonderful sense of humor, was caring, and will be greatly missed by everyone who loves him."

The Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office said on Friday that the tentative cause of death is “sharp and blunt injuries to the body consistent with a bear attack.”

The bear was in a cage when officials arrived on the property Thursday night.

WEB EXTRA: Click on the play buttons below to hear the 911 calls:
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The owner of the bear, Sam Mazzola, was also taken to an area hospital for other medical problems, according to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department.

On Friday, detectives served a warrant on Mazzola’s property to obtain records related to his animals. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is meeting with detectives to review Mazzola’s permits for the animals.

The Lorain County Sherriff’s Department said Mazzola told detectives he planned to put the bear down.  But on Friday, Mazzola told reporters he was going to leave the decision on whether to destroy the animal up to Kandra's family.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Mazzola has had permits in the past to have black bears at his residence, along with other exotic animals. The department could not confirm whether his permits are currently active.

DNR said they will only get involved if the bear involved in the attack was a black bear, which is native to Ohio.

Authorities have contacted the game warden and the Lorain County Health Department.

The owner of the bear and animals sanctuary has been hailed by some for rescuing exotic animals, but he’s also been the center of controversy, protests and legal action.

Mazzola, who promotes bear wrestling in the area, was kicked out of the Cleveland sports show at the IX Center in 2007 when the U.S. Department of Agriculture said he should not be in business because his exotic animal license was revoked for providing false information.

Mazzola also showed off his nearly 1,000-pound bear at Midway Mall over the years, despite protests from animal rights groups.

According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the attack marks the seventh time a pet bear has attacked a person in Ohio since 2001.  The state leads the nation in those attacks.