Wojtek Statue

I had to write this quick review when I encountered this tribute to Wojtek the bear. This is the second location in Scotland where I’ve seen a monument to a bear with such an interesting backstory. Wojtek was a Syrian brown bear who was adopted by Polish soldiers during the Second World War. He became part of their unit, helping lift morale and carrying ammunition during the Battle of Monte Cassino. His service saw him promoted to Corporal. After the war, he lived at Edinburgh Zoo, where many of his old comrades would visit him before his passing at the age of 21. This statue is a gift from the Polish town of Żagań, with which Duns is twinned, and it was installed in 2016.