City officials and authorities in Novato are on the hunt....for a bird. But not just any bird, as this particular breed happens to be 700 pounds and 9 feet tall with a 10-foot wingspan. No, it’s not an expedition through the Amazon rainforest to capture some rare species; rather, the city’s bronze bird statue has gone missing and it’s believed theft is to blame. At 700 pounds, CityNews wonders where the supposed thieves would find the room to place the behemoth. A bronzed pelican isn’t exactly ideal living room décor. The statue was only installed at a city park about a year ago and the bird is named Omay, the Miwok word for pelican. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, as the officials have no idea how the bird statue took flight, especially since it’s so large to transport.
The city spent $27,500 for the creation, which was the product of an Idaho artist. In order to get Omay back, the city is offering a $1,000 reward. There are reportedly no leads so far. Novato Mayor Madeline Kellner commented the following about the statue and its disappearance:
“The sculpture was extremely unique, because of its Native American theme and because it was a very special statue. A lot of community input went into picking the theme and picking the statue for that area. My heart sank when I read what had happened. I hope (police) find whoever took it and bring our pelican back to our pond."
In these tough economic times, speculation has mounted that the bronze statue was stolen for the value of the metal.
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