40 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK

A look back at how The Sunday Post reported the world through the years. This week: August 24, 1980. The world watches as bear goes missing off island, Old Firm fans clash once again and bad news for beer drinkers

It’s not every day that the top story on a national newspaper is about a missing bear.

Then again, Hercules, the animal in question, was not your average bear.

“Fears grew last night for the safety of 40-stone grizzly bear Hercules, the eight-foot-tall star of an ad for toilet rolls,” read The Post on August 24, 1980. “But the search will continue today. “Hercules went missing on Thursday in the sea off

Benbecula, where he was filming a new commercial with wrestler Andy Robbins. Although he was spotted later the same day on a small island, some of the searchers think he may since have drowned.

“When Hercules first took off into the Atlantic, owner Andy lunged in after him. Both disappeared but a helicopter on exercise in the area picked up Andy. Experts believe Hercules couldhavegoneinto hibernation.” As the world

waited for news of the missing bear, Hercules was spotted swimming by a farmer in the area after a full 24 days in the Scottish wilderness.

Remarkably, given the abundance of wildlife, Hercules had lost half his weight. Reared on a diet of cooked food, the bear is reported to have balked at the idea of eating raw fish. This endeared him to the public and he went on to star in a number of films and commercials.