Hercules: An A to Z of Scotland's famous grizzly bear

Hercules with Maggie Robin who with her husband Andy looked after the bear for 25 years

A wooden statue has been unveiled to recall a bear's escape on the Western Isles 33 years ago. But who was Hercules? We compiled this A to Z on the 8ft 4in grizzly.

A is for Aviemore: When he was a cub Hercules was kept at the Highland Wildlife Park near the Highland town. In 1975, when he was nine months old, the bear was bought by wrestler Andy "Grizzly" Robin and his wife Maggie. The couple raised the bear at their Big Bear Ranch in Perthshire.

B is Benbecula: The Hebridean island where Hercules escaped from Andy during filming for an advert in the summer of 1980. The bear was on the loose for 24 days.

C is for caddie: For a stunt, Hercules acted as a caddie for Bob Hope when the US actor and comedian played golf at Gleneagles in Perthshire.

D is for Disney: One of the big name studios to use the bear in its films.

E is for eggs: Hercules consumed dozens of eggs as part of his diet.

F is for February: On 4 February 2001 Hercules died. He was 25 years old and was buried in the garden of the Robins' home.

G is for grizzly: Also known as the brown bear, the grizzly is one of the world's largest carnivores.

H is for Hercules: A hero of Greek mythology.

I is for ice cream: The dessert was one of the bear's favourite treats.

Hercules appeared in Octopussy starring Roger Moore

J is for Jean Duguix: The owner of a tame black bear called Terrible Ted which Andy Robin wrestled at an event in Toronto, Canada, in the 1960s. It was Andy's first close encounter with a bear.

K is for kilograms: When he was eventually caught after three weeks on the run in 1980, Hercules was found to have lost 127kg (20 stone) in weight.

L is for Langass: The name of the community woodland on North Uist is where the carved wooden statue of Hercules was unveiled earlier this week. He was in the area during the escape.

M is for Margaret Thatcher: The late, former prime minister was among high-profile names to meet the bear.

N is for Nimmo: Maggie Robin's maiden name. A former Scottish Ladies Showjumping Champion, she wrote a book about Hercules' life with her family.

O is for Octopussy: Hercules appeared in the 1983-released James Bond film that starred Roger Moore as 007.

P is for Pollen: Author Bella Pollen was a teenager on a family holiday on Benbecula when the bear escaped. The incident inspired her to later write a fictional story, Summer of the Bear.

Q is for Queen: The British monarch was among VIPs to have written a letter to Hercules.

R is for Reagan: Former US president Ronald Reagan was also a fan of the bear.

S is for Scottish Tourist Board: The tourist body made Hercules its personality of the year following his escape on the Western Isles.

T is for Time: Time Magazine in the US has featured Hercules on one of its covers.

U is for unconscious: The bear's time on the loose on the Outer Hebrides came to end when he was shot with a tranquiliser dart and fell unconscious. He was given an antidote and a massage to revive him.

V is for vet: Veterinarians at the Edinburgh-based Royal Dick Vet School carried out investigative surgery on Hercules after he was crippled by a back problem in the late 1990s.

W is for water therapy: The Robins swam Hercules in the swimming pool at their home in their effort to help the bear recover from the back injury.

X is for x factor: Hercules had it in the bucket loads. He had a fan base from appearances on children's television shows, while news coverage of his escape brought him worldwide attention.

Y is for Yellowstone: Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA, is among the places where grizzlies are found in the wild.

Z is for Zeus: In Greek mythology, Hercules was the son of god Zeus.