The perturbed animal lover was so upset with Cambridge's ban from keeping dogs on the premises that Byron decided to get back in the most creative way.
The statutes never banned bringing pet bears to school and the school authorities had no legal way to stop him. Lucky for everyone involved, the bear was tame and “harmless.”
The bear didn't just end up some joke. When Byron graduated he went back to his ancestral home to live, Newstead Abbey, and the bear went with him!
It didn't stop with bears either. He had been known to keep a collection of unusual pets, including a tamed wolf.
A regular amusement for the poet and his friends included playing with the bear or teasing the wolf. Seems like there may have been a chip missing within the brains of these intellectuals!
