A 12-foot, 500lb (225kg) stuffed polar bear has been stolen from a resort in Canada, leaving local police baffled.
The bear is believed to have been lifted from the Lily Lake Resort near Edmonton early in January during a cold snap in the area where temperatures were a polar -30C.
It is thought that the thieves took their chance on a night when the usual 24-hour security patrols of the resort were cancelled due to the freezing temperatures.
A resort worker told local newspaper The Globe and Mail that the thieves cut the cables that held the bear in place, then dragged it outside, presumably where there was a vehicle was waiting for them to make good their escape.
The polar bear was reported stolen on January 22 by the resort’s operators. It is thought the theft was planned – given that stealing a 500lb stuffed animal is not something generally done on impulse.
You may think that one theft of a one stuffed animal was odd enough, but officers are investigating if there is a potential link to a theft last August where two stuffed racoons were stolen from the resort and have yet to be recovered.
Police have asked the public to keep an eye out for any giant taxidermied polar bears in the area, or if they see any offered for sale online.
The reason for thefts are currently the subject of speculation. The animals don’t have a great monetary value, about C$35,000 ($26,000) according to Police, and, while it is legal to hunt polar bears in Canada’s northern territories – there are thousands that live in Canada – stealing one that is already long dead would seem like cheating.
