However, it would appear that Wojtek was a cub for most of the war.
And it doesn't surprise me that folks have kept them as pets. I don't really understand it and truly wish this sort of practice would stop. Or at least require people to invest time and money into special classes concerning their animal along with long-term planning for the care of the animal. It won't stop some people, though.
I understand that the Second Amendment allows for bears, but it says nothing about big cats.
Other animals, such as boa constrictors and iguanas, are bought when small and quickly grow larger than the person can take care of. I imagine large cats, bears, and whatnot are similar to this situation, with more paperwork. I imagine there are lots of places where a rich enough person can have a private zoo, complete with lions, tigers, and bears.
Additionally, there is a thriving black market for restricted animals. Some places, this might be as "mundane" as ferrets. Others, alligators, endangered turtles, and even large cats can be had. I'm also guessing that some folks kill the mother bear and trap the baby with intentions of keeping it.
But I used to visit some caged tigers occasionally. The guy that had them - something like 4-5 tigers and a large black cat - would educate folks on them. It turns out these were cats people tried to keep as pets. These were cats that simply could not be returned to the wild. Some were abused or had been otherwise harmed as well.
He very strongly warned folks that these large animals are not pets. Not good at all.
I completely approve of zoos keeping such animals. Same with animals that have been injured and saved, but can't return to the wild. I also don't mind them trying conservation efforts, but I think if we kept the animals out of the public's eye, we'd do better. I think funding might go down, however.