TORONTO (AP) — Bercy Park is home to a popular fountain featuring a sculpture of a dog spouting water from its mouth. But now there’s a new dog in town.
Or rather, Doug is the new guy in town.
Thousands of people are already flocking to Toronto parks to catch a glimpse of a sculpture of a beaver nicknamed Doug that is part of a World Cup-themed contest. The Great Beaver Quest challenges participants to find 51 beaver statues on display in Toronto’s Old Town neighborhood.
“We hope it’s something that people who come from out of town and are looking for something to do while keeping their kids busy will be happy to participate. It’s easy to get involved,” said Robin Posner of the Neighborhood Business Improvement Area.
Old Town is approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from Toronto Stadium, which hosts six stadiums. world cup Matches starting on Friday Canada — one of three host nations — takes on the challenge. Bosnia and Herzegovina.
City officials expect 300,000 visitors Toronto Posner said the beaver hunt, which takes place over three weeks, is meant to be a fun pastime and encourage visitors to learn about the area and its businesses.
“The goal was to bring people to the area, experience what it’s like to be in Old Town and meet like-minded people,” she said.
Forty-nine of the four-foot-tall resin fiberglass beavers represent the countries participating in the World Cup (including a pair from Canada), while the remaining two represent FIFA and all countries combined. Each one is hand-painted by a different local artist.
Doug, one of Canada’s Beavers, wears a Canadian-inspired soccer uniform under a red flannel shirt.
The remaining 50 beavers are placed in neighborhood parks, along sidewalks, and even indoors. A Norwegian beaver stares out the window from inside the lobby of an office building.
Each beaver comes with a QR code that allows participants to take part in a free digital scavenger hunt. Weekly prizes will be awarded to the contestant with the highest score and the winner of a random drawing.
The contest will run until August 16th, after which the beaver will be auctioned off for charity. It officially opened to the public on June 1st, and as of Tuesday, 4,500 people had participated.
So why in the world did Toronto’s Old Town authorities decide to put dam-building rodents at the center of the contest?
“I thought it was really cute because it’s Canada’s national animal,” Posner said. “And they’re small enough. That’s why we chose beavers.”
