Stuffed tiger sent on international trip by Lake of the Woods Scouts returns after 7 years.

Date published: 1/24/2006

By KATHLEEN LEWIS

LOT HAS CHANGED, since "Paws" left America in 1998.

His collar was white and his orange shirt had that fresh laundered look.

Today the white is a dingy grey and his shirt looks like it was worn by a running back who hit the dirt more than once.

But he is the same stuffed tiger.

"He left a Cub Scout, he came back a Boy Scout," said Joe Yeager, Scoutmaster of Troop 197, Lake of the Woods.

Back in 1998, the Tiger Cubs Pack 197 were talking geography. Beanie Babies were front-page news. And the Internet had taken off.

These three factors created the conditions that led the Lake of the Woods pack to send a Ty Beanie Baby on a seven-year journey around the world.

The stuffed animal visited Antarctica, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom before its return in December. While away, he remained in the care of troops that agreed to host him.

"He really was an ambassador of goodwill between our boys and boys around the world," said Anthony Elswick, who came up with the idea.

Elswick, of Lake of the Woods, is an assistant with the Scouts. He said the leadership is always exploring new learning experiences.

His son William was 7 when Paws left. Now he is 13.

While the stuffed tiger was away, the Scouts charted his journey on a map.

"Paws was a way to find tons of other Scout troops and learn about other cultures," said Zach Yeager, 13.

For each destination, the boys mailed ahead a box of items to represent them. They included things like Redskins cards, a county emblem, a pamphlet about Virginia and a disposable camera. Packages came back with similar items.

Pierce Coppa, 12, of Somerset Farms, is intrigued that so many other hands have handled the stuffed tiger.

"If you touch his ear, you touch where someone else has done the same thing," said the Orange County resident.

Elswick contacted Scout troops by e-mail to find out if they would receive the mascot. Paws' first host was an Eagle Scout in Antarctica. The Scout left the ice island two months later by way of New Zealand. While there, he mailed the stuffed animal to Singapore.

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Date published: 1/24/2006