North Vancouver RCMP are looking to return a unique piece of art to its rightful owner.
On Monday, police were called to investigate a suspicious man on a motorcycle with a wooden statue. When they arrived, the man sped off leaving the large, ornate carving behind.
The wooden sculpture of a mythical winged creature had been disassembled with the tail feathers and wings removed and stuffed into a large duffel bag. Fully assembled it stands six-foot-six (203 centimetres.).
“We believe another vehicle was probably involved because you wouldn’t get that on a motorbike safely,” De Jong said.
Police attempted to follow the suspect but didn’t get involved in a risky pursuit, De Jong added.
Investigators are being cagey about where the item was found or what the origin of the statue could be, but they are looking to find who it belongs to. There have been no reports of any break and enters or reports of stolen statues to help police identify the owner.
“We don’t imagine there are too many people that have these in their possession, so if you are missing it, it would be quite evident,” he said. “It could be from someone’s house, or a temple or sorts, or a place of worship.”
Fuyubi Nakamura, curator at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC said the figure is Garuda, likely from Bali, Indonesia.
“Garuda is mythical lord of birds in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Indonesia uses the Garuda as its national symbol. Thailand also uses Garuda as its national symbol," she said.
