16: Wojtek
Syrian Brown Bear who Helped the Polish Troops in World War II
Born: c.1942, Syria
Died: 2 December 1963, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Wojtek is a shortened form of the Polish name Wojciech, which means “Joyful Warrior.” According to Expats Poland, “Wojtek” is pronounced in English as “Voy-Tek.”
Among other things, Wojtek was apparently a great lover of boxing, cigarettes, and beer. I think that’s the most World War II-era sentence I’ve ever written in relation to an Army Private.
(The truth of the matter was that Wojtek actually liked to eat the cigarettes—he wouldn’t smoke them! He apparently also liked to eat dates and most of the time would drink water from a beer bottle). He also liked to ride in trucks alongside fellow soldiers—in the passenger seat at first as a cub but then in the backseat once he grew too big for the front.
In 1943, Wojtek—who was still a young cub, was adopted by the Polish Army* after his mother was shot and killed by a group of hunters. The bear cub followed his new Polish family all the way from Syria to Italy as they fought in the war. In order to be able to transport the bear, Wojtek had to be officially enlisted in the Polish Free Army. He was given a rank (Private) as well as a serial number and was allowed to travel to the Italian theatre of the war.
During the Battle of Monte Cassino, other Allied troops were shocked to see a literal bear carrying artillery shells and other crates full of ammunition. Wojtek stood about six feet tall on his hind legs, so it was quite a sight to behold! Wojtek did such a good job his company’s emblem became a depiction of him carrying a shell. For his bravery in the battle, Wojtek was promoted to the rank of Corporal.
After the war, Wojtek lived in Scotland with his other Polish soldiers/friends for a time before being moved to the Edinburgh Zoo, where he lived for the rest of his life. The soldiers did not want him to return to Poland, as they were worried the Communist forces now in control of their country would use him as a propaganda tool.
Several statues of Wojtek stand in Edinburgh, as well as in Kraków and Duns—another city in Scotland. Many of the Polish soldiers Wojtek fought with ended up settling in the UK after the war. Before the war, they had been held as political prisoners in the Soviet Union, and with Poland still being an occupied territory after the war, they couldn’t return home.
In 2024, author Alan Pollack, who had previously written a children’s book about Wojtek, announced he was also writing and producing a stage production of the bear’s story.
*According to Encyclopedia Britannica’s article on Wojtek, the Polish Army was able to adopt the bear cub after a local shepherd traded the bear to them in exchange for a Swiss Army Knife, some chocolate, and some canned beef. I’d say that was a fair trade!
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Located In My Personal Library:
The Bear Who Went to War by Alan Pollack
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4nd3n33yeo
https://www.britannica.com/animal/Wojtek-the-Bear
https://www.expatspoland.com/wojtek-the-bear/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/152351288/wojtek
PS, Special thanks to my very Russian friend for suggesting Wojtek's story to me! He knows who he is 😉 haha