City officials are scratching their heads after three more deer sculptures seem to have been poached this week from the Trailhead Pavilion at the Highway 108 turnoff.
This is just the latest theft from the site. Ontario Provincial Police say a doe and fawn statue was first reported missing in late April while the pavilion was still closed for winter and a passerby noticed that the display had been taken.
This time, three more of the detailed metal sculptures were stolen.
Rob DeBortoli, the City of Elliot Lake's acting CAO, said police have again been contacted, but little is known about why or exactly when the latest theft took place. Staff noticed the theft earlier this week.
"We were just as surprised as everyone else to see that they're missing," said deBortoli.
A popular rest stop for Highway 17 travellers, the city-maintained Trailhead Pavilion marks the start of the 120-kilometre Deer Trail Driving Tour for tourists and the display of metal deer outside the info centre is a well-known landmark.
Steve Antunes, Elliot Lake's Economic Development Manager, said the statues have been on the site for many years and are popular with people who stop and use the rest area and the tourism information booth.
"They're a thing that people stop and touch and pet or take a picture," said Antunes.
Antunes said staff believe the statues went missing between 5 p.m. Sunday and 4:30 p.m. Monday, most likely at night. The thieves would have had to cut the metal sculptures from the poured concrete pads to which they were attached.
"It's crazy to me that someone went to this amount of effort to take them," said Antunes.
The city would like to get them back and is asking anyone who witnessed the theft or has seen the deer since to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
DeBortoli said the April theft was chalked up to a random act at the time and city officials were puzzled as to why someone would want to take the statues. It is unknown whether the same culprits are behind this week's theft. OPP tell Village Media there were no suspects in the first theft and insufficient evidence for officers to proceed.