If you're headed to the Outer Hebrides, you are likely familiar with the more well-known attractions such as Luskentyre and the Calanais Standing Stones.
However, you may be unaware of a memorial to a grizzly bear called Hercules on North Uist. Hercules acted in a number of adverts, television shows, and films, and became a worldwide sensation in 1980 after a dramatic escape.
The animal was born in captivity at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie in 1975, where there was insufficient accommodation for him. This meant that he needed to be adopted or else put down, and luckily Scottish wrestler Andy Robin and his wife Maggie bought the cub for £50 with the intention of training him.
When Hercules was old enough to be separated from his mother, Andy and Maggie brought him back to their home near Dunblane. In just one year, the bear had grown to weigh approximately 190kg.
After training him, the wrestler began incorporating the bear into his act in the late 1970s. Around this time, a documentary was commissioned which increased Hercules' popularity.
Following this, the bear was given roles in a number of television adverts, the most notable of which was for Kleenex. This was filmed in 1980 on Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides.
During the filming, Hercules escaped the set, leading to a large-scale hunt for the bear due to fears he would kill the livestock on the island.
It wasn't until more than three weeks later that the animal was found on North Uist after crossing the causeway that connects the islands.
Amazingly, Hercules did not kill a single sheep on the islands, and was returned to Andy via helicopter. He instead had survived off of food thrown away by humans, and had lost a significant amount of weight as a result.
The story made the bear a worldwide celebrity, and led to him having even larger roles. The most notable of these was the James Bond film Octopussy in 1983 alongside Roger Moore.
The bear would enjoy a successful acting career all the way through to 1997, before his death in 2001. Due to Hercules' time spent in North Uist, his remains were moved to the island and a wooden memorial was constructed there, which can still be visited to this day.
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