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Living with Bears: More Reality than Fiction

Throughout fiction, there have been many stories of humans living with animals. Whether one is referring to the stories of the Jungle Book or Julie of the Wolves, one thing can be ascertained that some humans have always tried to portray people as being able to live with animals in nature.

There has been some debate about whether or not animals and humans can co-exist further than they already are. After all, we already have trained a walrus who can dance to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal as seen in

this video. Oftentimes when one goes to a circus, one sees wild animals trained to do feats that can defy expectations. Animal training has been around for many centuries. There have been records going as far back as the Persians using elephants in their armies and their battles. Even to this day, people still train falcons for many sporting or entertainment needs. Oftentimes, many people will own pets of various natures to feel more connected with nature, whether they own something as commonplace as a dog or whether they choose to venture into the more exotic with tarantulas and snakes.

However, one has to wonder if bears can share the same love and care and loyalty for humans that dogs and cats can exhibit. The truth of the matter is, it can be done and has already been done. In order to understand this article, one must think about the circus analogy again. Bears, lions, and tigers have been used in the circus for many years now. Some animal trainers stick their heads in the mouths of animals; others do daring and amazing feats with animals that could easily turn on their trainer and overcome a human with disastrous results.

As hard as it may be to believe, in history there has been record of a bear who worked with humans, going as far as to try to become one and to support them in their time of need. For those reading this article that do not know the story of Voytek the Soldier Bear, allow me to explain. His name is actually spelled Wojtek in the Polish language, which has a translation to "warrior who enjoys war". However, his name is pronounced "Voytek" and he is commonly known in history by that spelling.

Voytek the Soldier Bear was found by a young boy in Iran. At less than a year old, he was sold to the Polish 22nd artillery for some food. The bear was fed milk by the troops who eventually took in the bear as their very own pet. He eventually became an unofficial mascot to the company before finally being given his own soldier number and rank of private.

This bear became very popular with the group and was often given beer as a reward. It is often said that the bear enjoyed drinking bear and having cigarettes just like the rest of the men in the company.

During the Battle of Monte Cassino, Voytek was said to have carried heavy crates containing artillery shells among gunfire and bombshells going off all around him. It is said that despite the immense weight of the crates, the bear never dropped a single box. His full story can be read here.

It is of this writer's firm belief that if a bear can be trained to ignore gunfire and shelling in the middle of a battlefield to help his comrades in battle and to enjoy a beer and smoke just like any other man in that company, a bear can be trained to be domesticated and live in harmony with humans.

Learn more about this author, John Toth.
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