Kelowna restaurant wants its stolen 6-foot bear statue returned

The wooden bear statue that normally greets visitors at a Kelowna restaurant is pictured in a handout image from Kelowna RCMP.

Mounties are appealing for information after a six-foot tall wooden bear statue of “significant value” was stolen from a Kelowna restaurant last month.

According to the Kelowna RCMP, Grizzly Bear Bistro and Bar on Pier Mac Way reported the theft around 8 a.m. on Aug. 14. The thieves took the bear from where it normally stands outside the restaurant, even though it was chained up, Mounties said.

“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 its safe return,” said Const. Mike Della-Paolera in a news release issued Wednesday.

“He's our mascot. He's part of our restaurant, we had him specially chainsaw carved,” manager Anthia Robinson told Castanet. "We would just really like them back.”

Police said surveillance footage revealed the bear-napping was carried out by three male suspects in a white mid-2000s Ford F150. Mounties added the truck matches the description of a vehicle involved in a previous attempt to steal the bear.

Robinson said staff secured the bear with a larger chain after the first theft attempt. “(The suspect) tried taking it a few months back, and he couldn't get it into his truck by himself, so we put a bigger chain on it. And he came back with a friend and took it this time,” she said.

All three suspects were caught on camera loading the statue into the back of the truck before driving away, police said. The driver is described as having white hair and a white beard, and wearing an oversized white T-shirt. The second suspect is described as a “younger male” wearing a grey baseball hat, a red shirt and jeans. Police said there is no description of the third suspect.

Mounties are asking anyone with information about the theft to call Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 or leave an anonymous tip at Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The suspect vehicle is seen in this still of surveillance video handed out by Kelowna RCMP.