Swedish military helps lost teddy return home

Thanks to a helping hand from the pilots at the Skaraborg F7 Wing in central Sweden, a teddy bear whose plea to get back to his family went viral in Sweden, was on Thursday able to return home.

The cuddly toy was found by military staff after he had, presumably, been attending Saturday's annual airshow at Såtenäs airfield to watch vintage planes, fighter jets and paratroopers perform.

But in the crowds of some 45,000 spectators, he somehow got away from his family. In a message shared more than 3,000 times on social media, the lost bear pleaded for the help of the public. 

“I miss my best friend. We visited the air show together, but I got lost. All visitors have now gone home and only the aircraft and the F7 staff are left. Please help me find my friend again,” said the little fellow on Skaraborg F7 Wing's Facebook page.

A Jas Gripen jet landing at Såtenäs airfield. Photo: Magnus Hjalmarson Neideman/SvD/TT

However, all's well that ends well, and Skaraborg information officer Henrik Gebhardt told The Local on Thursday morning that his team had managed to get in touch with the mother of the teddy's owner.

"Hopefully this was shared so many times on Facebook because it touches a lot of people. Many think, as we did, that it should be returned to the child. It feels amazing that they're able to reunite. I have children of my own and know for myself how much they value their cuddly toys," he said.

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Gebhardt assured any concerned readers that the little fellow had remained safe and sound, albeit a little scared, throughout his stay at Skaraborg.

"The teddy is right now sitting in my office looking at me. He says he's had a good time at F7 but is happy to be able to return home again. It feels great that we can make sure that the two of them reunite and it was easy for us to do the right thing," he said.

Other than helping lost teddies find their way home, the Skaraborg Wing is responsible for training the Swedish Air Force's pilots of the Jas Gripen jets, alongside carrying out national and international operations.

Additional research by Elin Jönsson