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Wojtek

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Animal

The Resume

    (1941-December 1963)
    Born in Iran
    Syrian brown bear
    Adopted as a cub by the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish II Corps (1942)
    Following WWII, lived in the Edinburgh Zoo

Why he might be annoying:

    He liked to smoke -- and eat -- cigarettes.
    He cried when his handler left him alone and he would cover his eyes with his paws when scolded. (Sounds pretty wimpy for a bear.)
    He learned how to work the showers and had to be locked out of the bath hut to keep him from exhausting the water supply.
    In order to get him onto a British transport ship when the unit was transferred from the Middle East to Italy, he was officially drafted into the Polish army as a private.

Why he might not be annoying:

    While the unit was stationed in Iraq, he discovered a spy hiding in the bath hut; he was rewarded with two beers and by being allowed to spend an entire morning in the shower.
    During the Battle of Monte Cassino, he carried ammunition cases and never dropped one.
    The 22nd Artillery Supply Company adopted an effigy of a bear carrying an artillery shell as its official emblem.
    When he lived at the Edinburgh Zoo, he was a frequent guest on the children's program 'Blue Peter.'
    Plaques honoring him were erected at the Edinburgh Zoo, the Imperial War Museum and the Canadian War Museum.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 13 Votes: 38.46% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 30.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 26 Votes: 53.85% Annoying