As Time describes, Polish POWs discovered Wojtek while trekking through Iranian mountains. It was 1942 and the POWs were headed to a Siberian gulag. Serendipity intervened when the Allies struck a deal with Stalin, arranging for the release of the captive Poles so they could serve alongside the Allies. Wojtek was just a cub at the time, and the troops treated him “like a baby,” feeding the bear condensed milk from a vodka bottle. 

Eventually, Wojtek grew into a 500-to-600-pound behemoth. Polish soldier Dymitr Szawlugo, who helped take care of the bear, recalled that Wojtek “would accept lit cigarettes, take a puff and swallow them.” After downing a bottle of beer “he would look through the opening to see where the rest of the beer was.” Wojtek was a source of joy and friendly psychological warfare. Troops trained him to hold new recruits upside down “by the boots to make the rookies think they were getting eaten.” 

Wojtek’s most celebrated exploit was toting what appeared to be live ammunition on the front lines at the Battle of Monte Cassino. However, Dymitr Szawlugo’s son asserted that the bear carried unused shells and empty ammo crates. Regardless, Wojtek was hailed as a hero, and the troops changed their insignia to a bear carrying an artillery shell. After the war, Wojtek relocated to a Scottish village with other Polish soldiers. There he lived as a beloved community member, attending concerts, dances, and children’s parties.