The real bear Winnipeg lived at London Zoo when Christopher Robin Milne visited her.
Harry Colebourn brought the female American black bear from Canada to England during the First World War. He left her at London Zoo in December 1914 before departing for military service in France, and she became a permanent resident after the war.
Christopher Robin Milne began visiting Winnipeg in 1924. Her name helped inspire the name of his teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. The “Pooh” part came from the name Christopher Robin had given to a swan, so the famous name combined two separate animal influences.
Winnipeg remained at London Zoo until her death in 1934. The bear visitors saw there was a real animal, distinct from Christopher Robin’s stuffed toy and from the fictional character created by A. A. Milne.