Wojtek — The Soldier With Fur

Wojtek’s story began in 1942, in the mountains of Iran, where Polish soldiers of the Anders’ Army were moving through the Middle East after being released from Soviet labor camps. While passing through a small village near Hamadan, the soldiers met a young boy carrying an orphaned Syrian brown bear cub. The cub’s mother had been killed by hunters, and the boy was trying to sell the bear to survive.

The soldiers pooled their money and bought the cub.

At first, Wojtek was tiny—he was fed condensed milk from a vodka bottle, wrapped in blankets, and slept alongside the men. He quickly bonded with them, following soldiers everywhere like a child. As he grew, he ate fruit, honey, marmalade, and whatever rations he could steal. He loved wrestling, splashing in water, and famously… drinking beer, which he drank straight from bottles like the soldiers did.

When the unit needed to travel by ship to Italy, animals weren’t allowed aboard. So the soldiers did something incredible: they officially enlisted Wojtek in the Polish Army as a private. He was given:

• A rank

• A serial number

• His own paybook

• Rations like any other soldier

Wojtek was assigned to the 22nd Artillery Supply Company—and that’s where he truly earned his legend.

During the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944, one of the most brutal battles of World War II, Wojtek helped move heavy crates of artillery ammunition. Watching the men struggle, he began carrying boxes of shells himself, walking upright on his hind legs. He never dropped a single crate.

The image of a bear carrying artillery shells became so iconic that it was adopted as the official emblem of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company.

While Wojtek didn’t receive medals in the traditional sense (they weren’t formally awarded to animals), he received promotions—eventually reaching the rank of corporal—and was treated as a decorated member of the unit. More importantly, he became a morale symbol for Allied forces, a living reminder of resilience, loyalty, and camaraderie amid devastation.

After the war, Wojtek retired with his fellow soldiers to Scotland, living at the Edinburgh Zoo. Former soldiers visited him for years—he recognized them, stood up when they saluted him, and accepted cigarettes (which he ate rather than smoked).

Wojtek died in 1963, but statues, memorials, and plaques across Poland, Scotland, and beyond honor him today.

In a world breaking apart,

a small bear learned what it meant to belong—

to walk beside men,

to carry their burdens,

to soften their fear without ever knowing why.

Wojtek did not fight for flags or borders.

He fought for the hands that fed him,

the voices that called his name,

the family that raised him in the middle of fire.

🐻🍻