Wojtek the Soldier Bear

In the spring of 1942, Polish soldiers traveling through Iran bought an orphaned Syrian brown bear cub at a train station. They named him Wojtek. The troops nursed the tiny bear with condensed milk from an old vodka bottle, and he quickly became part of the 22nd Artillery Supply Company.

Wojtek didn't stay small for long. He grew into a towering 500-pound bear who mimicked his human friends. He playfully wrestled with the soldiers, learned to march alongside them, and even developed a taste for drinking beer in camp.

When it was time to sail to Europe to fight, British transport ships strictly banned all pets. To bypass the rules, the Polish Army refused to leave Wojtek behind. They simply made him a soldier.

Wojtek sailed to Italy as an official member of the military. He survived the war and eventually enjoyed a long, peaceful retirement as a major celebrity at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.