A 500-pound taxidermied polar bear was stolen from a spa resort in Alberta, Canada, shocking locals and leaving police baffled by the grand theft.
The thieves grabbed Harry the polar bear, who was between 100 and 12 feet tall, on one of the coldest days at the former Lily Lake Resort, now known as the Lionsheart Wholeness Center, 30 miles north of Edmonton.
In a photo shared by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the taxidermied beast can be seen stretching its mouth in a roar, standing high on a second-story platform and reaching its head towards the roof.
“I actually didn't realize how big of a deal it was because it's just so bizarre, right?” Wanda Rowe, executive director of the wellness center, told The Globe and Mail.
Alberta RCMP Constable Kelsey Davidge described the crime as a “big polar bear raid” and urged residents to be on the lookout for the stolen bear if it appears for sale online.
A 500-pound taxidermied polar bear was stolen from a spa resort in Alberta, Canada, shocking locals and leaving police baffled
The thieves grabbed Harry the polar bear, who was between 100 and 12 feet tall, on one of the coldest days at the former Lily Lake Resort, now known as the Lionsheart Wholeness Center, 30 miles north of Edmonton
Davidge said: “It would immediately stand out if you saw it anywhere, wouldn’t it?”
Rowe filed a police report about the theft of the taxidermied bear on Jan. 22, but believes it was stolen a week earlier during the area's cold snap.
She said regular 24-hour security patrols were canceled the night of Jan. 13 as temperatures dropped to -35 degrees and a chilly wind blew that made it feel like -53 degrees in Alberta.
“There's some irony there, stolen on the coldest day of the year … and a polar bear in central Alberta,” Rowe told CTVNews.
The giant stuffed bear was secured in a building, but the thieves broke in and cut the wires, Rowe said.
Leaving drag marks everywhere, the thieves dragged Harry across the balcony, down the stairs and out the front double doors.
“It had to be planned. “It had to be 100 percent planned,” Rowe said, adding that a truck appeared to have been waiting at the thieves’ front door.
She said: “It was emotional for us at first because it's been here for so long. “We also felt hurt that someone would come in and just take that away.”
The polar bear, named Harry, has special meaning for the staff at Lionsheart, which Rowe describes as an Indigenous healing and education center.
A restaurant at the resort was named Harry's Den & Grill in honor of the bear that had been on the property for years.
“He really was an icon here, and it’s weird to walk by and not see him now,” Rowe said. “It feels like something is missing.”
The resort lost a pair of stuffed raccoons in a similar break-in last August. According to police, the cost for three taxidermied animals totaled about $26,000
The giant stuffed bear had been secured in a building, but the thieves broke in and cut the cables
The polar bear, named Harry, has a special meaning to the staff at Lionsheart, which is described as an Indigenous healing and education center
Indigenous Cultural Studies teacher Andrew Nanooch said: “The bear is one of the greatest symbols of our culture.”
“Generations have seen things taken from us… it would be kind of nice to get something back.”
The resort lost a pair of stuffed raccoons in a similar break-in last August. According to police, the cost for three taxidermied animals totaled about $26,000.
On one of the fur manufacturers' websites, a taxidermied polar bear similar in size to Harry is being offered for up to $29,850.
The attack on Harry also left Albertans in shock, with one person expressing disbelief during an interview.
“Are you kidding me, here on site?” Any clues?' asked David Quinn. “Why would anyone bother with the polar bear? That's crazy.”