Winnipeg the Black Bear
Without Winnipeg the black bear, we would have no Winnie the Pooh. Winnipeg was a cub when she was brought to the London Zoo in 1915. She had been purchased by a Canadian cavalry veterinarian named Harry Colebourn, who wanted to save the bear from a motherless life. Harry named her Winnipeg, after his hometown.
Winnipeg was a very social bear and charmed zoo guests for many years. Two of those zoo guests happened to be A.A. Milne and his son, Christopher Robin. Yup, that’s right! Winnipeg the black bear made such an impression on the two that A.A. Milne went on to create Winnie the Pooh as a tribute to the real-life Winnie.