HELENA, Mont. — A young girl lost a special teddy bear that she had since she was adopted from Ethiopian orphanages. She thought it was gone forever after she misplaced it on a trail in Glacier National Park last summer.
Family friends and her parents still had hope.
Hope prevailed.
A social media plea and the soft eyes and heart of a park ranger, along with the closing of a hiking trail due to grizzly bear activity on a day when a family friend visited, brought the teddy bear back into Naomi Pascal’s arms in Jackson, Wyoming.
The bear’s return has been liked by 12,000 people on Glacier National Park’s Facebook page. It is a touching story that resonates with Naomi’s father, Ben Pascal. He is also the senior pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole. This popular ski resort is south of Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
Pascal stated, “It was just hope and kindness and people just working together.” It touched the hearts of people. It gave them hope. It gave them hope.
Before Naomi was adopted in 2016, Teddy was the first gift Ben & Addie Pascal gave to her. Teddy was taken with her to Ethiopia, Rwanda and Croatia on family vacations.
Pascal brought his children to Montana in October 2020. Teddy was there again. Pascal, a friend and Terri Hayden, a family friend, watched over the children while they went on a hike through Glacier National Park. When they arrived back at Hayden’s Bigfork home that night, they realized Teddy wasn’t there.
It snowed overnight and closed the park’s higher elevations for the season, preventing Hayden to return to search for Teddy. She reported the situation to park officials in hopes that someone would turn the bear over to Lost-and-Find.
The bear specialist in Glacier, Ranger Tom Mazzarisi noticed the bear while he was doing some end of season work.
Mazzarisi stated that items that don’t have much value monetarily are usually thrown away. Mazzarisi was not aware that the stuffed animal had been reported missing, but couldn’t bear to throw it away.
Teddy was “hibernated” in Mazzarisi’s St. Mary cabin, and Mazzarisi “immediately placed him on the dash my patrol truck” when he returned to work in April.
Mazzarisi stated that it was a “perfect little mascot” as well as a conversation piece.
Mazzarisi explained that Teddy was busy in spring and summer watching wolves howl and working on “bear jams”, which are traffic jams caused when bears are near roads.
Addie Pascal, a June 2016 Facebook user, posted a plea for assistance in finding Teddy. She said that Teddy had been there for her through so many milestones. There are still many adventures to be had!
People responded with well wishes, and offered to replace the bears. A Michigan woman shared a photo of Teddy she took on the day it disappeared, claiming that it was the only bear that she had seen in the park.
Hayden felt terrible about Naomi’s loss, too. She and her family went to Glacier in September to find Naomi’s bear. Hayden told them and stopped by to look for lost-and-found spots.
Hayden stated, “I’m an a woman of faith.” “And that morning, I said, “OK Lord, if that bear is nearby, please place that bear in my path, and let me go home with that bear today.”
Hayden, her adult niece and a photographer with cancer, saw a stuffed bear inside a truck of a ranger after they were turned back from a trail closed for bear activity.
She snapped a photo and sent it to Addie Pascal. Addie quickly confirmed that it was Teddy.
The truck of the ranger was locked unfortunately. Mazzarisi was on his day off, and another ranger was working on the trail. He had the keys. They left a note and found other rangers.
Hayden stated, “I run up and to these rangers, and I’m hyperventilating.” “And I’m thinking, ‘There’s an SUV down at the trailhead with a bear on the dashboard.’
They were aware of the bear and confirmed its location. Soon, they returned Teddy to Hayden with a badge and a hat as junior park rangers.
Naomi was thrilled to receive Teddy back from Hayden, and Hayden sent the bear to Naomi.
Hayden purchased another stuffed animal for Mazzarisi. Clover was named by Hayden because she reminded him of a Yellowstone National Park grizzly bear that used to lie on her stomach in a clover field and eat.
Clover will be spending the winter at Mazzarisi’s cabin in St. Mary. She’ll be riding in his truck next spring.
