A Toronto couple helps a stuffed polar bear find its way home after discovering it riding the subway alone,
Stuffed bear was found on the TTC with half-eaten cookies
Toronto has its own stuffed animal going on adventures and just like Paddington Bear, it’s named after a train station.
But the couple who found “Ossington Bear” is looking for its rightful owner.
Rhonda Riche and her husband were going out for dinner Monday when they found the abandoned stuffed polar bear on an eastbound TTC subway train at High Park station.
“We found the bear sitting alone on the subway, half-eaten cookies left behind,” Riche told the Star.
“We wanted to reunite him, but at the same time were kind of scared because the TTC lost and found office was closed.”
Instead, the couple turned to Bunz, an online trading platform, to find the toy’s owner — dubbed “Ossington Bear” for the station they were heading toward.
“We thought it would be faster to turn to the power of Bunz,” she said.
“They’re really great. I’ve seen them perform all kinds of miracles, connecting them with lost keys, and bikes, and all kinds of pets, so it seemed like a good place to go to get help.”
Meanwhile they decided to take the bear for a night on the town.
“We thought we’d take him along with us and record his adventures,” Riche said.
“So that when Ossington Bear does get reunited, he would have a nice story to share, to let him know he was well taken care of.”
Riche said that, according to people online, the bear had been on the subway long before the couple got on at High Park.
“I don’t know how long he had been riding the rails.”
The owners of the stuffed animal haven’t been found yet.
“We’re really hoping to reunite him soon,” she said.
The couple plans to eventually take Ossington Bear to the TTC’s lost and found.
“We might go out again one more night.”
“We’re really hoping to reunite him soon” RHONDA RICHE