Canadian soldier Lt. Harry Colebourne came across an orphaned bear cub and named her "Winnipeg" after his hometown. They emigrated to Britain where Colebourne served as an army veterinary surgeon in the Canadian military.
In 1915, as World War I raged Captain Colebourne was sent to the front in France. Unable to take Winnipeg along he donated her to the London Zoo, where she became a star attraction.
As a young boy Christopher Robin adored the bear and asked his dad to take him home. Instead his father A. A. Milne transformed Winnipeg into the hero of a classic children's story, "Winnie The Pooh". The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and this was followed by The House of Pooh Corner (1928). Pooh stories have been translated into many languages.
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| Christopher Robin and Winnie The Pooh |
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