The Canadian Army Veterinary Corps was part of military life at Niagara Camp during the First World War. Veterinarians and farriers, pictured here, cared for the horses used by the cavalry units training at the camp. Their patients, however, may not have always been horses. Military units often adopted mascots, including dogs, goats, and even bears. Yes, bears. But perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised by this. The Veterinary Corps has its own connection to one of the most famous bears in popular culture. In 1914, Lt. Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian with the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps, purchased a bear cub and named her Winnipeg, or “Winnie.” She became the Veterinary Corps’ mascot before eventually making her way to the London Zoo, where she inspired A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. So, while Niagara Camp did not have Winnie, it did have a military bear of our own for a time. The bear was the mascot of the 76th Battalion.