THE remains of Clackmannanshire’s world-famous bear Hercules are being moved to a new resting place in the Outer Hebrides.

After 15 years’ interment at the Big Bear Ranch just north of Muckhart, the mammoth bones are to be shipped to a separate burial site on North Uist.

The nine-foot Grizzly lived most of his life on the secluded Clacks’ compound before dying in 2000 at the age of 25.

Hercules was best known for a number of on screen roles including a part in the James Bond film Octopussy, before meeting Maggie Thatcher and ‘caddying’ for American entertainer Bob Hope during a round at Gleneagles.

But he is perhaps most remembered for going on the run while filming a television advert in North Uist in 1980.

The 70-stone beast went missing for 24 days before he was spotted swimming nearby and shot with a tranquiliser dart from a helicopter.

Over the years, the incident in North Uist became some infamous that in 2013 a lifesize statue of Hercules was erected in Langass Woods, near to where he ran off.

The episode was so notorious that the Scottish Tourist Board made Hercules its personality of the year in 1981.

And after his previous owners Andy and Maggie Robin decided to move out of the Big Bear Ranch they arranged for Hercules’ remains to be taken north to the site of his most famous escapade.

Mrs Robin said: “Hercules has been unearthed – we’ve had a lovely casket make for him. He’s going to be re-interred in Uist in a couple of weeks.

“To have the permission to re-inter Hercules in Uist is a great compliment and will keep him living on for centuries.” Mrs Robin said there will be a “small ceremony” and his bones will be buried “close to the statue” in Langass Woods.

She added: “Moving in general for anyone is quite an emotional time. It’s an especially emotional time for us because of all the memories of Hercules there. It was time for us to move on.” Hercules was rescued as a cub in 1976 from a wildlife park which had nowhere to keep him and planned to put him down.

Andy bought him for £50 and trained him to be part of his wrestling act.

The couple then built the Big Bear Ranch property with Hercules in mind.

Their home, on the market for offers over £750,000, comes with 29 acres of land, a swimming pool and wet room, stables and a timber cabin.