Wojtek the Soldier Bear

I have blipped this statue before, but he’s worth another one. There is also a sculpture in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh celebrating this Syrian brown bear who was bought in Iran by Polish soldiers who had been evacuated from the Soviet Union.

He accompanied the Artillery corps to Italy in 1944 and helped move crates of ammunition. After the war, he was transported with his regiment to Berwickshire, where he became very popular amongst local civilians and the Polish-Scottish Association made him an honorary member.

In 1947, following his demobilisation, he retired to Edinburgh Zoo where he lived until his death in 1963.