One of the police representatives named this case: “The Great Polar Bear Robbery”.
And there's nothing crazy about the name.
It is indeed a giant stuffed polar bear which was stolen in January from a hotel north of Edmonton, in Alberta, in central Canada.
The beast, 500 pounds heavy (around 220 kg), and 10 or 12 feet high (nearly three meters) had been enthroned for many years high up on the second floor of this old hotel complex, a sort of large wooden chalet, according to the Canadian press which reports this “strange burglary”.
Especially since Harry, as the polar bear was named, is well known in the region where he first lived at the Red Barn, a bar whose concerts like that of Johnny Cash attracted crowds, reports the Globe and Mail.
Harry ended up in a building now closed to the public at the Lily Lake Resort, owned by the Lionheart Wholeness Center, which specializes in indigenous healing and education.
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“I didn’t realize how bad it was, because it’s so weird, isn’t it?
» recognizes Wanda Rowe, executive director of Lionsheart Wholeness Center.
“He was truly an icon here, and it's weird to drive past and not see him now (…) We feel like something is missing (…) “For us, it's moving, because he had been there for so long”
It remains to be seen how the burglars managed to get the beast out of the building without being noticed.
Unlike the theft last August, in the same hotel in the resort, of two stuffed raccoons, this time it took strong arms.
$35,000 in loot
“They must have planned this one hundred percent,” said Wanda Rowe.
According to her, the theft was committed on January 13 during a cold snap during which security patrols were suspended.
According to white marks left along the route, the thieves cut the cables holding the bear in place, dragged him from the balcony where he was standing, down the stairs and out the big front door , where a truck was probably waiting for him.
Far from being a farce, this theft is not trivial.
In total, the value of the stolen polar bear and raccoons is $35,000 (around 24,000 euros).