Wojtek
Wojtek (1942 – 2 December 1963; Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjtɛk]; in English sometimes phonetically spelled Voytek) was a Syrian brown bear. He was purchased (accounts differ) by Polish soldiers from an Iranian shepherd near Hamadan, Iran, during World War II. Wojtek accompanied the 2nd Polish Corps to Italy, serving under the 22nd Artillery Supply Company.
In 1944, during the Battle of Monte Cassino, Wojtek is said to have imitated his human comrades, carrying ammunition crates. He was promoted from private to corporal and became a celebrity with visiting Allied generals and statesmen. After the war, he was mustered out of the Polish Army and lived out the rest of his life in Scotland at the Edinburgh Zoo.
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