Brave Korean Folk-Hero Bear Captured After Nine Days Of Freedom

“A mountain climber told us that a dozen aluminium cans of beer and other beverage cans were torn apart around the cart. We are positive that the bear was responsible for it.”
 — A Seoul Zoo official tells the story of Kkoma, or “The Kid,” a sun bear who escaped from his cage on December 6th, apparently because he didn’t like being cooped up with a crabby older member of his species, and headed for the hills. Eluding hundreds of bear trappers with dogs and a helicopter, the brave young antiauthoritarian became a national media sensation — celebrating his freedom with a few well earned frosty cold ones before being caught on a mountainside in Gwacheon, four miles away. They’ll write poems about this bear some day. And make movies about him. Your children’s children will sing songs about “The Kid.” Song like these songs.

Billy Joel has a song about Billy the Kid, too. “The Ballad of Billy the Kid,” it’s called. And it even has a line about “a boy with a six-pack in his hand…” But I can’t bring myself to post a Billy Joel video. So just, you know, noted.