Prompt Cast
Amazing Animal Stories: Mike the Headless Chicken, Wojtek the Bear, and Bumper the Dog
TLDR Learn about the incredible stories of Mike the headless chicken who survived for 18 months, Wojtek the bear who became a mascot for a Polish artillery unit during World War II, and Bumper the dog who became a beloved sea dog and saved lives in Scotland and Norway.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This podcast episode discusses amazing animal stories, starting with the story of Mike the headless chicken in Colorado in 1945.
05:03
In 1945, a man named Lloyd Olsen accidentally cut off the head of a chicken named Mike, but to his surprise, the chicken survived and continued to act as if it had a head, leading to a sideshow promoter named Hope Wade partnering with Lloyd and Clara Olsen to tour the country with the headless chicken.
09:10
In 1945, after a story about Mike the headless chicken was published in Life magazine, he became a huge sensation in the United States, with people coming from far and wide to see him, and eventually the Olsens made a lot of money off of him, with Mike being valued at $142,000 in modern money.
13:35
Mike the headless chicken was able to survive and thrive for 18 months because most of his brain and essential functions were still intact, but unfortunately he eventually choked to death on a piece of corn because his owners forgot to bring the syringe to clear his esophagus.
17:55
During World War II, Polish soldiers adopted a Syrian brown bear cub named Wojtek as their own and taught him tricks like smoking cigarettes and drinking beer from a bottle.
22:24
During World War II, Wojtek the bear became the mascot for a Polish artillery unit and even participated in battle by guarding trucks and carrying crates of artillery shells.
26:36
Wojtek the bear died at the age of 22, possibly due to damage to his esophagus from a cigarette trick, and his claw marks can still be seen on trees at the farm in Scotland where he lived before being moved to the zoo.
31:30
Bumper the dog becomes beloved by the town in Scotland, going on pub crawls, drinking beer, and even riding the bus, and he also acts as a DD for his fellow sailors and saves lives in various instances.
35:30
Bumper the dog becomes a beloved sea dog and mascot of the Norwegian Royal Navy, and when he dies, the whole town comes out to attend his funeral with full military honors.
Categories:
Society & Culture
