Arlington officials remain on the hunt for the owner of a plush bunny left behind at the Taste of Arlington two weeks ago — and they’ve turned to social media to spread the word.
The county’s Department of Environmental Services asked its nearly 4,000 Twitter followers to help locate the stuffed animal’s rightful owner on May 21 after finding it amidst compost, recycling and trash, but the floppy-eared toy remained unclaimed as of this morning (Friday).
With its future in limbo, the bunny continues to be determined and optimistic, at least according to a photo narration provided by DES.
FOUND as we sorted all the waste (compost/recycling/trash) from @TasteArlington. Let us know if someone is missing a good friend. @ArlingtonVaPD @ReadyArlington pic.twitter.com/1gVjYYafTb
— Arlington DES (@ArlingtonDES) May 21, 2018
On May 24, the bunny embarked on a search at the county’s GIS Mapping Center, donning, of course, required safety equipment. Since then, the bunny has explored Arlington’s transportation center, taken a ride on a street sweeping vehicle and shown its support for the Washington Capitals.
UPDATE: The bunny found in @TasteArlington compost/recycling/trash sorting remains unclaimed but continues plowing through all possible leads. Inspired by @Capitals breakthrough. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/aKbyBEBw9i
— Arlington DES (@ArlingtonDES) May 31, 2018
The lost toy has garnered support from community members and the Northern Virginia district of the Virginia Department of Transportation. One Fredericksburg resident with the Twitter handle @NickZ even designed a “missing bunny” poster to advance search efforts.
https://twitter.com/nickz/status/1002058433191989250
As it tells the bunny’s story, DES has also publicized county services such as street sweeping and free paper shredding.
Although the bunny has yet to find its home, DES is not ready to give up. Just this morning, the Solid Waste Bureau’s Earth Products Yard hosted the toy on its latest clue-searching expedition before taking a break at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.
“The bunny sadly remains unclaimed,” DES spokeswoman Katie O’Brien told ARLnow. It did, however, spend some time searching for clues at the Earth Products Yard while “taking special caution to avoid the shredder.”