Replica Bison Testicles the Focus of Crime Spree
Updated: Tue, Aug 14 4:16 PM EDT
EDMONTON, Alberta (Reuters) - Police in this Canadian city where the world athletic championships ended last weekend appealed to the public on Tuesday to help them crack a crime spree involving the theft of several replica bison testicles.
Edmonton police charged two men on Tuesday after they were caught red-handed with testicles removed from the life-size replica of a bison, one of several colorfully painted statues placed throughout the western city for the 2001 World Championships in Athletics.
However, 19 other fiberglass bison had their testicles severed between Friday and Monday, and the case remains unsolved, police spokesman Dean Parthenis said.
The two men caught with the imitation genital glands have been charged with one count each of mischief, but are not currently suspects in the vandalism of the other bison, Parthenis said.
"As far as we're concerned, the one case has been solved but the other 19 are unsolved, so whether or not we have another person out there, or a group of people, or copycats, we don't know," he said.
The two suspects were collared in south Edmonton early Friday, after local residents told officers of the vandalism. A few minutes later, the two men, both in their early 20s, were found with the testicles, a fire extinguisher and a cloth. Parthenis said he did not know the significance of the other two items.
"It's a bizarre case," he said. "I mean, the whole scenario surrounding all the other 19 bison -- why anyone would want to walk off with testicles from a replica bison is beyond anyone's comprehension."
Many of the statues, painted in colors representing various countries, were to be sold following the two-week athletic championships, with the proceeds going to charity.
Their value will drop considerably if they are rendered less than anatomically correct, Parthenis said.
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