A giant teddy bear found on Pendarves beach last month has been unceremoniously laid to rest – at the dump.
The 3m-long soft toy was found by Samantha Cooper and her sister as they walked on the beach on June 22. At first from a distance, they had wondered if the large creature on the shore may have been a seal.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) Ashburton zone delivery lead Nikki Jenkins said two staff members made the short trip from the Ashburton depot on June 26, less than 24 hours after The Ashburton Courier notified the regional council of the find.
‘‘They were able to fit the large bear into the back of a ute,’’ Jenkins said.
‘‘At the charge of nine dollars, Big Ted was laid to rest at the Ashburton Resource Recovery Park,’’ she said.
‘‘He was in very poor condition and had certainly seen better days.’’
She reminded people to dispose of rubbish properly, so it did not impact waterways and wildlife.
Meanwhile, The Ashburton Courier is none the wiser as to how Big Ted, as named by ECan, got on the beach.
Among social media commenters joking on the story about the find, there was a suggestion it was a boyfriend bear of a type sold online, especially in America, for women to cuddle.
Another commenter claimed it had been on the beach for at least two weeks and had been used as a seat by people fishing.
