Winnipeg bear

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Winnipeg was the name given to the Black Bear cub that inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A. A. Milne. Winnipeg bear was discovered at a stop in White River, Ontario, by members of The Fort Garry Horse Canadian regiment of cavalry, en route to the battlefields of France during World War I. The bear was smuggled into Britain as the unofficial regimental mascot. Winnie's first owner was Lt. Harry Colebourn, the regiment’s veterinarian, who bought it for $20 and named it after his home city of Winnipeg. Before leaving for France, Colebourn left Winnie at London Zoo where she was seen by A. A. Milne's son Christopher Robin, who named his own stuffed bear “Winnie.”

Winnie's eventual destination was to be the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, but at the end of the War, the officers of the Fort Garry Horse decided to allow her to remain in London Zoo, where she was much loved for her playfulness. She was known as a gentle bear and never attacked anyone. This is exactly what inspired Milne to write about Pooh Bear.

The story of Winnie the bear has been portrayed in the 2004 movie, A Bear Called Winnie starring Michael Fassbender as Harry Colebourn. A statue of Winnie and Captain Colebourn stands in Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg.