During the recent extreme cold spell in western Canada, with temperatures dropping to -30C (-22F), many people chose to stay indoors. However, a certain group of thieves took advantage of the situation.
During a particularly frigid evening in the winter season, they were able to enter a hotel located north of Edmonton. The security patrols had been called off due to the severe weather conditions.
The burglars cut through metal wires before pulling their stolen item down a set of stairs and out the main entrance: the 500-pound stuffed polar bear has not been sighted since.
On January 22, employees at Lily Lake Resort near Legal, Alberta, reported a bold theft to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The resort is located approximately 30 miles north of Edmonton.
The director of the Lionsheart Wholeness Centre, Wanda Rowe, stated to the Globe and Mail that the event had to be carefully planned. She emphasized that it was fully intentional.
The police have reported that the resort has full-time security personnel present, but does not have any video surveillance.
Constable Kelsey Davidge told reporters the resort saw similar thefts last August, when a pair of stuffed raccoons were stolen. Together, the three animals are worth C$35,000 (US$26,000). A stuffed bison, muskox and cougar were seemingly passed over when the thieves made a grab for the towering bear, reportedly known as Harry.
The authorities have requested that citizens remain vigilant for any potential online sales of the stolen bear. Presently, a “super-sized” stuffed polar bear, comparable in size to the missing one, is available for purchase at a price of approximately C$30,000.
Harry’s unexpected disappearance adds the bear to a continuously increasing roster of strange robberies in the nation: in 2019, culprits escaped with 30,000 liters of iceberg water in Newfoundland. Additionally, in 2014, cunning thieves successfully stole millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup from a “global strategic reserve” in Quebec.
Source: theguardian.com
