Bear statue stolen from Kelowna restaurant

Kelowna RCMP is seeking information on the theft of a large bear statue.

Mounties sau the six-foot tall wooden bear statue was reported stolen from a restaurant in the 1700 block of Pier Mac Way on the morning of August 14.

The bear statue, which police say has significant value, had been stolen from the outdoor area of the restaurant despite being securely chained up.

The 6′ tall wooden bear statue was reported stolen from a Kelowna restaurant on August 14 (photo courtesy of the Kelowna RCMP)

The RCMP received and reviewed surveillance footage which showed three male suspects steal the statue and transport it from the site in a white, mid-2000’s Ford F150 with a black tonneau cover. This vehicle also matched a description of a vehicle involved in a previous attempt to steal the bear.

The male driver of the F150 was described as having white hair and a white beard and wearing an oversize white T-shirt. The second suspect, a younger male, was wearing a hrey baseball hat, red shirt and jeans at the time of the theft. There was no description of the third suspect, but police say all three individuals were captured on camera loading the statue into the bed of the truck before fleeing the scene.

Surveillance camera footage showed the three male suspects load the bear statue into the back of the white, mid-2000’s Ford F150 before fleeing the scene (photo courtesy of the Kelowna RCMP)

“This statue has stood as a guardian welcoming guests for quite some time now and has become an admired piece of this community. The owner and staff earnestly request it’s safe return,” Constable Mike Della-Paolera, Media Relations Officer with the Kelowna RCMP, said.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the bear statue or the identity of the suspects is asked to call the RCMP at 250-762-3300 or to file an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers online or at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).