Lord Byron had a pet bear, according to people who knew the English poet. In 1805, Byron began attending Trinity College, where he was said to have kept a domesticated bear that followed him around in the same manner as a pet dog. Accounts of Byron’s pet bear generally state that the aristocratic poet brought the animal to stay in his dorm room out of retaliation for not being permitted to bring a dog; the official rules did not expressly forbid pet bears. Byron was known to have had an avid interest in keeping animals as pets, including monkeys and peacocks, throughout his life.
More about Lord Byron:
Lord Byron’s daughter Augusta Ada worked with Charles Babbage on originating the first mechanical computer and is considered by many people to be the first computer programmer.
Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, was one of Byron’s neighbors and closest friends after he fled to Geneva from England following his divorce amid rumors of a relationship with his half-sister.
Although he was English, Byron died at the age of 36 after joining Greece’s fight for independence from the Ottoman Empire.