An Airport And Social Media Users Went To Extreme Lengths To Reunite This Teddy Bear With Its Owner

Make a note that if you lose a laptop or jacket at Ireland’s Cork Airport, all is not lost. In fact, it’s likely that they’re working diligently to get your misplaced item back to you.

Bucking the public perception that airport workers lack empathy with hapless travelers trying to negotiate the system, Cork Airport has undertaken a viral campaign to reunite this lost teddy bear with its unknown owner.

Here’s the initial post they made upon finding the rogue doll:

When no takers or claimants came forward, the airport stepped up its effort, revealing that the bear, equally frustrated, had issued a handwritten mandate:

While the second post failed to pair the ostensibly literate and English-speaking bear with its owner, it began circulating as a viral story, shared by 1,000 helpful, hopeful people. No less than ABC News picked up the effort, interviewing the airport's head of communications, Kevin Culinane, who apprised the world thusly:

"When we found Teddy alone in our boarding gate area, we knew he would be somewhat lonely and it might be a week or so until Teddy's extended family return from their travels. Rather than be home alone, Teddy is now part of the Cork Airport Communications Team and is enjoying our award-winning customer service while we all await an emotional reunion any day soon.”

By day 3, the forlorn bear had taken to playing songs, sad songs no doubt, on piano. Yet still...no owner.

Day four took a grim turn with the nameless bear accepting its fate. It was airport folk now, plain and simple:

As of yet, no one has stepped forward. It’s unclear if the owner simply isn’t a social media user or if this was, perish the thought, a conscious uncoupling. In any event, if a reunion isn’t in the cards, closure is sought. By the airport. By the bear. By every social media user who hit “share.”

So even if the owner doesn’t wish to be reunited, then perhaps an anonymous message to the airport conveying as much can be shared so that we can pick up the pieces and move on.