Six-foot tall grizzly bear stolen from Kelowna restaurant

A restaurant in Kelowna had its huge wooden grizzly bear sculpture stolen this summer and police are hoping someone can help with the investigation.

Kelowna RCMP received a report of a theft from Grizzly Bear Bistro and Bar in the 1700 block of Pier Mac Way at around 8 a.m., Aug. 14.

The owners of restaurant said that their highly-valued six-foot wooden bear statue had been stolen from outside the restaurant despite being securely chained up, according to an RCMP media release.

Surveillance footage revealed three male suspects stealing the bear and loading it into the back of a white pickup truck before taking off.

The suspect vehicle was a white mid-2000 Ford F-150 with a black tonneau cover. The vehicle caught on security cameras also matched the description of a vehicle involved with a previous attempt to steal the bear statue.

The male driver is described as having white hair and a white beard and wearing an oversized white T-shirt. Another suspect is described as a younger male. He was seen wearing a grey baseball hat, a red shirt, and jeans.

Currently, there's no available description for the third male suspect.

“This statue has stood as a guardian welcoming guests for quite some time now and has become an admired piece of this community," Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Const. Mike Della-Paolera said in the release. "The owner and staff earnestly request it’s safe return."

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 and reference file 2023-47879. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can contact Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or leave a tip on the Crime Stoppers website here.

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