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Parliament honours ‘Soldier Bear’

[i]Voytek the bear - Picture courtesy Imperial War Museum Wojtek was taught to smoke and drink beer…[/i]

A reception has been held in the Scottish Parliament in honour of a bear which saw action in World War II. Wojtek - dubbed the “Soldier Bear” - was adopted by Polish troops and helped them carry ammunition at the Battle of Monte Cassino. When their forces were deployed to Europe the only way to take the bear with them was to “enlist” him. So he was given a name, rank and number and took part in the Italian campaign. Wojtek - also known as Voytek - was rescued as a cub in the Middle East in 1943. The Polish soldiers adopted him and as he grew he was trained to carry heavy mortar rounds.

At the end of the war the bear - who had also learned how to smoke and drink beer - was billeted at an army camp in the Scottish Borders at Hutton in Berwickshire. When the Polish soldiers were demobilised he was taken to Edinburgh Zoo where he eventually died in 1963. Members of the Polish community, Hutton residents and ex-servicemen were expected to attend the event.

“The fact that a large bear could be trusted with humans to the extent he played with children and enjoyed a bottle of beer made him unique” - Aileen Orr, Wojtek Memorial Trust. Efforts are now being made by the Wojtek Memorial Trust to build a permanent tribute to the bear. Founder Aileen Orr said: "The story of Wojtek has only recently been raised again throughout Poland and Scotland. “It is understood no bear can be tamed, but he was the exception.” "The fact that a large bear could be trusted with humans to the extent he played with children and enjoyed a bottle of beer made him unique.

The trust also aims to recognise the efforts of Polish troops and celebrate the connections between their country and Scotland. “We owe a great deal to them and, through the trust, we hope to erect a memorial to celebrate his life, as well as to enhance the links between our two countries,” added Ms Orr.

Scots sculptor Alan Herriot has been commissioned to create the memorial. He said: “I loved this story the minute I read it last year.”

As a child I remember seeing this bear in the zoo puffing a fag, yet had no idea of his history, quite sad really

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What is truly sad is that humans took it upon themselves to introduce carcinogenics to wildlife, and thought it was cute. I hope we can learn to truly honor wildlife in the future by keeping their environment free from such disgrace.
BTW, what did he die of, lung cancer.
Heidi

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To be fair ducks, this comes from a less enlightened age -tho’ not too long ago.

You might to look up what happened to the zoo’s in Iraq and Afganistan :frowning:

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[quote=wheelieslug;435833]To be fair ducks, this comes from a less enlightened age -tho’ not too long ago.

You might to look up what happened to the zoo’s in Iraq and Afganistan :([/quote]

I know…
and I should not be so judgmental since I at one time I hunted big game.

I was just having a moment were breathing was difficult, and it hit me wrong.

It may not make things better, but I did not kill for just trophy. I did field dress and eat any kill I made.

These days I would rather take a bug outside then kill it, guess somethings make you realize how precious life is.

Heidi

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Not sure but he looked quite happy sitting on his stool with a fag in one hand/paw and a pint of beer in the other? :smiley: But 22 years seems a fair age… although I am ignorant as to how long some bears live?

The reason I remember is that at the same time there was also an orang-utan who also had a smoking habit… possibly from watching too many 50’s/60’s tough guy US films no doubt? :slight_smile:

Watch a short film of [b]Voytek the bear[/b] with archived footage.

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So there is no misunderstanding to those that hunt.
I have absolutely no problems with controlled hunts. They serve to control over population and grazing, providing larger and healthier herds.
I just wouldn’t and couldn’t anymore.

My largest bag was on a drawn hunt in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. A 465lbs bull elk, used a .444 Marlin. Part of the rules is you had to dress and pack it down yourself. That was a chore and a half, I was only 26 and 112 lbs at the time too! Damn I was a mess.
Heidi