Does the Cocaine Bear die?

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Cocaine Bear. 

Animal movies are back in fashion as the remarkably hilarious Cocaine Bear has strode into theaters. The film has made a splash at the box office, making $23 million in its domestic opening weekend. Cocaine Bear is exactly what it sounds like, as the film follows a bear who has ingested an unbearable amount of cocaine. What you might not know, is that this movie was inspired by a true story. 

That’s right, even though the bear in the film goes on a murderous rampage through no fault of her own, it is based on a true story. You might have seen the title of the movie and realized that there is a very good chance that this bear might die. So, let’s take a look at the end of the film, as well as the true events that inspired it, and let you know if you have to be worried about any cocaine bears dying, in real life or on-screen.

What happens to the Cocaine Bear?

In 1985 a black bear, now known as Cocaine Bear or Pablo Eskobear, that weighed in at 175 pounds, found 75 pounds of cocaine scattered within the Chattahoochee National Forest. The bear died after ingesting an unknown quantity of the substance, and it didn’t kill anybody. The film differs on both counts. She is a rampaging murderous drugged-up bear, so she does manage to rack up quite the body count in the movie.

By the end of Cocaine Bear, it is revealed that the Cocaine Bear has some Cocaine Cubs. Our titular hero manages to kill everyone they encounter in the forest, or maim them badly enough so they leave and never come back. Even though police cars arrive to clean up the mess, both the bear and the cubs are very much alive by the time the credits roll. So, if you were worried that the film would show some animal cruelty, real or otherwise, it actually shows more cruelty toward humans. Well, she does get injured a few times, but she manages to shake it off.

Because the bear does die in real life, this is not a case of truth being stranger than fiction, as the bear going on a cocaine-fueled rampage certainly is more interesting than the bear falling over dead. You have to wonder if leaving the bear alive might lead to Cocaine Bear becoming a franchise.

You can catch Cocaine Bear in theaters now, but don’t get too close, you might lose a limb.