The real Cocaine Bear taxidermy statue is in Kentucky

If you found it hard to believe that the film, Cocaine Bear, was in theatres, just wait until you find out about the real-life taxidermy statue. We also highlight where to watch the movie.

Keri Russell is joined in the cast list by Alden Ehrenreich, Margo Martindale, Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Directed and co-produced by Elizabeth Banks and written by Jimmy Warden, the horror comedy, Cocaine Bear, is inspired by the true story of an American black bear that consumed a whole bag of the titular drug in 1985.

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Cocaine Bear’s real-life taxidermy statue

The Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, located in Lexington, Kentucky, is the proud owner of the real-life Cocaine Bear taxidermy statue.

For those who don’t know, the real bear died after ingesting a large amount of the substance and was found in Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia in 1985.

After the bear had died, the examiner declared it would be a shame to burn the body since it was in good shape.

The body of the Cocaine Bear was then stuffed and gifted to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Later, it was moved into storage because of an approaching wildfire and was subsequently stolen.

This bizarre story led the search for the bear to Anonymous Outlaw Country Musical, Waylon Jennings, who had apparently bought the stuffed bear at a pawn shop and gifted it to his friend, Ron Thompson.

After Thompson died, much of his estate was put up for auction, which is when the owners of the Kentucky mall stepped in to see if they could get it – and it’s been there ever since.

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Where to watch Cocaine Bear right now

Cocaine Bear was released on Friday, February 24, 2023, and the only place you can currently watch the movie during its premiere will be in your local theatre.

Cinema exclusive releases can stay in theatres anywhere between 14-90 days, depending on their popularity.

Universal Pictures is distributing Cocaine Bear, therefore, the dark comedy will follow the pattern of past Universal releases and come to streaming service Peacock approximately eight weeks after its cinema debut, estimating its streaming date to be somewhere in mid-to-late April.

The movie will then arrive on Amazon Prime Video sometime in August 2023, four months after its Peacock release.

Unfortunately, Cocaine Bear will not be available to stream on Netflix, Disney Plus, or HBO Max at any point.

By Jo Craig – [email protected]

Cocaine Bear is now in theatres worldwide.