Social media helps teddy bear return home

HOORN, Netherlands, March 18 (UPI) -- A Dutch man who found a teddy bear left behind on a train said he was able to return it to its 3-year-old owner after an eight-month social media campaign.

Cees de Jonge, a photographer, said he found the bear on a train that arrived in Hoorn in July and decided to take it home when the conductor told him it would be discarded if he turned it in, Netherlands newspaper ad.nl reported Monday.

De Jonge said his Facebook posts about the bear yielded so many responses that he made the stuffed animal its own Facebook page. He said a friend made a Twitter account for the bear.

The photographer said months went by without finding the owner, but a fresh push last week resulted in a response from a woman who said the bear belonged to her 3-year-old son, Luciano, DutchNews.nl reported.

"I am the happiest bear in the world, I have found my owner, Luciano here I am," De Jonge posted on the bear's behalf.