COLUMBIA TOWNSHIP — The 8-year-old 350-pound black bear, named Iroquois, responsible for the death of 24-year-old Brent Kandra, was put down yesterday at the request of the Kandra family, but owner Sam Mazzola said he didn’t think killing the bear is what Kandra would have wanted.

Mazzola, 48, 9978 N. Marks Road, was helping Kandra feed the bear Thursday night when the bear “swiped” at Kandra, severely injuring him, Mazzola said. According to The Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, Mazzola had to use a fire extinguisher to get the bear back into its cage and to stop charging at Kandra. Kandra died at 1:30 a.m. Friday at Cleveland MetroHealth Medical Center from sharp and blunt force traumas consistent to a bear attack, according to Powell Ceasar, of the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s Office.

Mazzola said losing the bear was like losing a member of the family.

“I was crying on the phone to my mom and I said if I got killed by an animal, you’re the one that has to live with my death so it’s obviously your decision,” Mazzola said as he sobbed heavily yesterday evening. “I left it up with Brent’s mom and dad and his family and even though I love my animals very much, I loved Brent a whole lot and I respect their wishes. I made a promise to his family that if they wanted it done, the vet would come do it. I hope and pray it brings them closure and peace to his family.”

Iroquois was Kandra’s favorite bear, Mazzola said, because the bear had been in Mazzola’s care since it was a cub and Kandra “had a huge role with him.”

Following the attack, the bear was quarantined and was not posing a threat to anybody, Sheriff’s Capt. Jim Drozdowski said Friday. Mazzola had originally told sheriff’s officials he would be definitely putting the bear down, but he decided yesterday to leave the decision up to the Kandra family.

John Kandra, Brent’s father, said early yesterday killing the bear “isn’t going to bring his son back,” but Kandra’s mother and other family members wished for Iroquois to be put down.

“It is not what I have represented for 25 years and it’s not why I rescue animals. I don’t think it would have been Brent’s wishes but if the family wants it done, it will be done,” Mazzola said before the bear was killed.

“I am just trying to absorb everything. This is so critical to me,” he said later, pausing to take deep breaths.

“It’s not what I stand for and it’s not the beliefs of everybody that works out here, including Brent,” Mazzola said prior to the euthanization. “It is our belief it is our choice to do this work and it’s like an airline pilot that crashes the plane. If I got killed tomorrow by one of these animals. I do not want it harmed in anyway.”

Mazzola said he was the only one with Kandra at the time of the accident and he hates that people are speculating.

“I hate that everybody is calling it ‘an attack,’” Mazzola said. “It isn’t like that. These bears do stuff. The way Brent got grabbed by the bear was initially as if the bear grabbed at another bear. If it was another bear, nothing would have happened but our skin is delicate, we are going to get ripped. We are not built like a bear. When they get a little rough, we get hurt.”

Mazzola said the five people that work out at his compound of exotic animals — which includes tigers, lions, wolves, foxes and bears — did not sign a waiver or any paperwork before they started handling the animals, but instead have “a pact” that if they get hurt, they don’t want the animals harmed.

“We talked about it before, but we never thought something like this would happen,” Mazzola said. “It’s something that is hard for people to understand, why we do this. But to see the love and gentleness when (the animals) put their head on you and fall asleep, you’ve got to remember too, this bear here came from a bad situation. Nobody wants these bears, they don’t have anywhere to go ... They are my friends, I promised to give them a place to live the rest of their life and I don’t want to let them down.”

Mazzola said what he and other people do on his property is safe. He said in the past, he has interacted with more than 3 million people with the animals and he has wrestled a bear in the general public and nobody got hurt, with the exception of a few cuts and bruises.

Mazzola said he has been bit on the face by a bear and had to have 2,000 stitches.

“Did it stop me from this? Did I kill the bear? Hell no. That bear is one of my favorites,” Mazzola said.

The bear that fatally injured Kandra was a playful bear, Mazzola said, who loved to wrestle and play. The bear also loved to be hand fed donuts.

“He was a boy bear and he was one of the guys. Does he know he did something wrong? No. I went out there and I yelled at him and scolded him, he knew there was something not right. But I don’t think he knew he did something wrong,” he said.

Mazzola said the life of an animal trainer and caretaker isn’t an easy one, but it was “Brent’s choice” and he “didn’t have to do it if he didn’t want to, but it was something he loved.”