700-pound pelican statue pilfered in California

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_PILFERED_PELICAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-10-10-27-46

NOVATO, Calif. (AP) -- Authorities in the San Francisco Bay area town of Novato are flapping about the theft of a park statue - a 700-pound bronze pelican.

The Marin Independent Journal says the statue, titled "Omay" - a Miwok Indian word for pelican - apparently was stolen over the weekend from a park near Scottsdale Pond.

The statue was commissioned by the city council in 2007 at a cost of $27,500. It is 9 feet tall with a 10-foot wingspan.

Novato police say it may have been stolen for its metal but the motive isn't clear yet. They're offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the thieves.

[Blue_Tires]

1. some silly high school or college prank?

i hope...

[Starry Messenger]

3. People are stealing them to cut down.

They sell the metal to salvage yards. I saw a news article a few years ago about a salvage yard that reported that someone had brought them a stolen statue.

[rocktivity]

2. You don't "pilfer" something that weighs 700 pounds.

That's bad journalism even by AP standards.

:eyes:
rocktivity