He said: “It was desperately sad to see an important and much-loved piece of local history ripped away.
“It’s fantastic that someone seems to have done the decent thing and returned it so that it can be put back where it belongs.”
When the plaque disappeared last year, North Yorkshire Police released an appeal describing the statue as a “prominent and much-loved local landmark”.
The Chalfonts homes were built in the 1960s but it is not clear why the bear was placed in the residential area.
Speaking after the plaque’s disappearance last year, Mr Fenton said: “It’s one of these strange stories that no-one knows why.
“The bear looks sad and lonely but it’s a striking statue.”