Wojtek drank beer, smoked cigarettes (sometimes ate them too), was made a private to get around "no pets" regulations, and then carried heavy crates that'd normally require 4 men to lift

hands down best bear in history

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If he made himself that useful, one wonders why there weren’t more bears in the military.

[–] Thorry84@feddit.nl 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Because they are wild animals that don't lend to domestication very well. All so called "tame" bears have been tortured to get them to behave. And even then they don't always behave and leads to them getting killed because they are too dangerous. On top of that, they are so large and powerful, they can easily kill or severely injure humans by accident.

Domesticated bears is animal abuse and outlawed in most of the world.

[–] PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You're right, but how is that different than breaking horses?

[–] Thorry84@feddit.nl 1 points 5 months ago

You'd have to ask a real expert, I'm more of what you'd call an armchair expert.

As I understand it, horses are a species that can be domesticated. That means with relatively benign actions (intensives with food, corrections with hitting with a paddle or small whip) the animal can be made to do what you want it to do. And usually once a horse is domesticated, they will stay that way and won't become aggressive. However this isn't universal, not all equine species can be domesticated, it's just that humans only keep the most useful around. We've also done so for so long, selective breeding is probably a huge factor in this. Horses can be dangerous as well, but far less so than bears. A horse can throw a human, kick or step on them, but usually that's not enough to kill someone. Bears can do anything a horse can and on top of that they are usually bigger, have sharp teeth and sharp claws. Another aspect is probably that horses are prey animals where bears are predators and pretty high up in the food chain at that. Bears probably hunted humans, before humans invented stuff like fences and fire and stuff.

Bears can't be domesticated, they can only be scared so much they will obey. The techniques used are usually very brutal, with a significant amount of animals not even surviving the process. They won't ever truly obey, only when they are afraid. So they will be abused continually, to keep them afraid. And even then, when the animal sees an opportunity to strike back or see something as prey, they will act upon that instinct.

But in the end I personally don't think humans have the right to domesticate any kind of animal and raising something living with the express purpose of using/abusing/consuming them is morally incorrect. So in that case there is no difference between a horse and a bear. But from my experience with people who hold horses these days, they are more like pets, being loved and cared for rather than working animals. So it is a spectrum and bears are more on very much not OK side as compared to horses.

[–] ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think it's great that his allegiance is listed as Poland, as if he was fully aware of what country he was fighting for.

[–] TomMasz@piefed.social 8 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Little-known nature fact: While you can't buy a bear's allegiance with beer and cigarettes, you can if you also have pierogis.

[–] KSPAtlas@sopuli.xyz 6 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Any particular filling for the pierogi?

[–] AtariDump@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

NOT sauerkraut.

[–] TomMasz@piefed.social 3 points 5 months ago

Berries or salmon, I'd bet.

[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 3 points 5 months ago

Beer and cigarettes is always a fav.