Skull of bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh on display in London museum

The skull of the bear that inspired A.A. Milne’s much-loved character Winnie-the-Pooh is now on display at the Royal College of Surgeons’ Hunterian Museum in London.

Milne took inspiration for the 1926 children’s classic tale from regular trips to the London Zoo with his son, Christopher, where they first encountered the Canadian black bear, named Winnipeg, Winnie for short.

Winnie The Pooh arrives at The Los Angeles Premiere of "Winnie The Pooh" held at The Walt Disney Studios on July 10, 2011 in Burbank, California.

“Winnie The Pooh” is seen on July 10, 2011 in Burbank, California. The skull of the bear that inspired A.A. Milne’s much-loved character is now on display at the Royal College of Surgeons’ Hunterian Museum in London. Photo by Alexandra Wyman/ Getty Images

“[Winnie’s] story and presence in our collection are a reminder of how learning about animal health can enhance our understanding and care for species around the world,” Sam Alberti, Director of Museums and Archives at the Royal College of Surgeons, said in a statement.

Winnie was bought by a veterinarian and soldier, Capt. Harry Colebourn, when he was en route to fight in World War I. He brought the bear to have as a mascot while his regiment trained in Wiltshire, England, and named her after his hometown in Manitoba, Canada.


When he was deployed to fight in France in 1914, he left Winnie at the London Zoo, where Milne and his son came to know her. Photographs from this period show that Christopher was even allowed in Winnie’s enclosure at the zoo, the museum said, and he named his own teddy bear Winnie.

After the war, Colebourn donated Winnie to the zoo where she remained a popular attraction until her death in May 1934.

According to the zoo, Winnie’s skull has become part of a trove of “valuable research specimens” for biologists and zoo vets who treat animals for dental diseases.

“She lived with quite severe gum disease, you know, undoubtedly because of the honey on the sticky buns that she was being fed by the museum visitors out of love,” Alberti told The New York Times, adding that “it’s a happy message that the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh, has had this afterlife.”

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