Cocaine Bear

 

A  blog  about Cocaine Bear  :

In 1985, a black bear in northern Georgia made headlines for an unusual reason. The bear, which would later become known as the "Cocaine Bear," ingested a large quantity of cocaine that had been dropped from a drug smuggler's plane. The incident led to the bear's death, but it also became the stuff of legend, inspiring books, movies, and even a museum exhibit.

The story of the Cocaine Bear begins on September 11, 1985, when a drug smuggler named Andrew Thornton dropped several duffel bags filled with cocaine from a small plane over the Chattahoochee National Forest. Thornton, a former narcotics officer turned drug smuggler, had planned to parachute to the ground and retrieve the bags, but he miscalculated the drop and died when he landed in a residential area.

The duffel bags were found by a group of hikers, who reported the discovery to the police. Among the bags was a container of powdered cocaine weighing over 40 pounds. The cocaine had a street value of more than $15 million.

The Cocaine Bear, as the black bear that ingested the cocaine came to be known, was found dead a few days later. The bear had apparently eaten some of the cocaine and died from an overdose. The incident became national news, and the bear's unusual fate made it a pop culture icon.

In the years since the incident, the story of the Cocaine Bear has been retold in various forms. In 2022, the movie "Cocaine Bear" was released, directed by Elizabeth Banks, which is based on the true story of the bear. The movie is a black comedy and thriller that follows the bear's journey through the forest after ingesting the cocaine, as well as the efforts of law enforcement to track down the drug smuggler.

The Cocaine Bear also became the inspiration for a museum exhibit called "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," which was displayed at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in 2014. The exhibit included artwork and artifacts inspired by the bear's story, including a recreation of the cocaine-filled duffel bags.

The story of the Cocaine Bear is a strange and tragic one, but it has also become a cultural touchstone that continues to fascinate people today. The bear's death is a reminder of the dangers of drug use and the impact that human activity can have on the natural world. At the same time, the story has inspired creative works that explore the strange and surreal aspects of this bizarre event.