A small town in the Scottish Borders is home to one of two statues in the country commemorating a Syrian brown bear who served in World War II.
It may sound like something out of a movie, but Wojtek was very much a real animal in the Polish Land Forces. In fact, he was even promoted to the rank of corporal for his services.
Wojtek — also spelled Voytek — started life in the care of a young Iranian boy after its mother was killed by hunters. In 1942, at a railroad station in Iran, the bear came into the care of Polish soldiers, with Lieutenant Anatol Tarnowieckikept deciding to keep and raise the animal.
While at first, Wojtek was not healthy and needed to be fed condensed milk from a bottle, over time he became not just a mascot but a full-on member of the unit. The bear would often play-wrestle with troops, and would even be given beer to drink and cigarettes.
When the unit was sent to Italy in 1943 to assist Allied troops, Wojtek joined them. At this point, he was officially enlisted and given the rank of Private.
On the front line, Wojtek was a valuable asset and carried ammunition and empty boxes. His odd human-like behaviour led to the animal becoming something of an icon, and an image of him carrying an artillery shell was adopted as the company’s insignia.
Fortunately, Wojtek survived the war and was able to enjoy retirement in none other than Edinburgh Zoo. During his years spent at the zoo, the bear would receive regular visits from his Polish friends, and it was said that his mood would always improve when he heard their voices.
Wojtek died in 1963 at the age of 21, weighing almost 500kg at the time of his death — a far cry from the skinny bear cub that had been rescued in Iran all those years ago.
Given his iconic status, it is unsurprising that there are many statues commemorating Wojtek all over the world. Unsurprisingly, given his close connection to the country, there are two here: one in Edinburgh's West Princes Street Gardens and another in the Borders town of Duns.
The latter is the newer of the two memorials, erected in 2016. It may surprise you to learn that a small Scottish town has a statue commemorating Wojtek, but the bear actually spent some time at Winfield Airfield not far from Duns in 1946 before he was sent to Edinburgh Zoo.
Although his time there was short, Wojtek left a major impact on the locals and was even made an honorary member of the Polish-Scottish Association. If you want to see the statue for yourself, it is located in Duns Market Square.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our newsletter here.
