This could well be the biggest heist of the century... in the stuffed polar bear business. One of these animals, which weighs 220 kg and is nearly three meters high, was indeed stolen in January from a former hotel north of Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada.
A strange burglary that left the local community in amazement: “They must have planned this one hundred percent,” said Wanda Rowe, executive director of Lionsheart Wholeness Center, a center specializing in indigenous healing and education and which owns the Lily Lake Resort, the property where the theft was committed. This theft was only noticed on January 22, but according to the manager it dates back to January 13, the day during which a cold snap occurred and security patrols were unable to circulate. As indicated by the marks left on the ground, the criminals cut the cables that held the bear in place, then dragged it up the stairs of the second floor balcony where it had previously been enthroned. The thieves eventually exited through the front door, where a truck was waiting for them. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a theft of this nature has been committed on the property. In August 2023, two stuffed raccoons had already been stolen. In total, all of these thefts represent damage of around 35.000 Canadian dollars (€24.000). An investigation is underway, led by the Redwater local of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who are currently looking for possible witnesses or traces of sales advertisements on the Internet. In the meantime, this new theft visibly moved Wanda Rowe. “He was truly an icon here, and it’s weird to drive past and not see him anymore,” she laments. Harry, the name given to this stuffed polar bear, would have first sat in the past at the Red Barn, a bar which hosted Johnny Cash concerts. He then landed at Lily Lake Resort, where the bar and restaurant were named in his honor.
1,309 total views
No comments