A 500lb taxidermized polar bear was stolen from a wellness resort in Alberta, Canada, leaving locals shocked and police stumped at the heavy theft.
The thieves snatched Harry the polar bear, standing between teen to 12 feet tall, during one of the coldest days at the former Lily Lake Resort, now known as the Lionsheart Wholeness Center, located 30 miles north of Edmonton.
The taxidermized beast is seen stretching its mouth into a roar, standing high on a platform on the second floor as its head reaches the roof in a photo shared by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
‘I actually didn’t realize quite how big of a deal this is because it’s just so bizarre, right?’ Wanda Rowe, executive director of the wellness center, told The Globe and Mail.
RCMP Constable Kelsey Davidge from Alberta described the crime as ‘the heist of the big polar bear,’ urging residents to watch for the stolen bear in case it pops up online for sale.
A 500lb taxidermized polar bear was stolen from a wellness resort in Alberta, Canada , leaving locals shocked and police stumped
The thieves snatched Harry the polar bear, standing between teen to 12 feet tall, during one of the coldest days at the former Lily Lake Resort, now known as the Lionsheart Wholeness Center, located 30 miles north of Edmonton
Davidge said: ”That would stick out right away, if you saw that anywhere, right?’
Rowe filed the police report about the theft of the taxidermy bear on January 22 but believes it was stolen a week earlier during the cold snap that hit the area.
She said the regular 24-hour security patrols were canceled on the night of January 13, as temperatures plummeted to -35 degrees with a chilling wind making 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 had been secured in a building, but the thieves broke in and cut the cables, Rowe said.
Drag marks were left everywhere as the thieves pulled Harry across the balcony, downstairs, and out through the front double doors.
‘It had to be planned. It 100 percent had to be planned,’ Rowe said, adding that the thieves must have had a truck waiting outside the front door.
She said, ‘For us initially, it was emotional because it’s been here for so long. We also felt violated that someone could come in and just take this.’
The polar bear named Harry holds special meaning for the staff at Lionsheart, described by Rowe as an Indigenous healing and education center.
A restaurant at the resort was named Harry’s Den & Grill in honor of the bear, which had stood on the property for years.
‘He was really an icon here, and it’s weird to walk by and not see him now,’ Rowe said. ‘Feels like something is missing.’
The resort lost a pair of stuffed racoons in August last year during a similar break-in. The cost of three taxidermy animals in total was about $26,000, police said
The giant stuffed bear had been secured in a building, but the thieves broke in and cut the cables
The polar bear named Harry holds special meaning for the staff at Lionsheart, described as an Indigenous healing and education center
Indigenous cultural knowledge teacher Andrew Nanooch said: ‘The bear is one of the biggest symbols in our culture.’
‘Generations have seen things taken from us…it would be kind of nice to get one thing back.’
The resort lost a pair of stuffed raccoons in August last year during a similar break-in. The cost of three taxidermy animals in total was about $26,000, police said.
On one of the fur manufacturers’ websites, a taxidermy polar bear of a similar size to Harry is priced as high as $29,850.
The heist of Harry also left Alberta residents in shock, with one person expressing disbelief during an interview.
‘You are kidding me, right here in local? Any clues?’ David Quinn asked. ‘Why would somebody do with the polar bear? That’s crazy.’
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