Hamilton homeowner wants to know who stole a 150-pound elephant sculpture from their yard
You've likely heard about the ever-expanding palates of Hamilton's daring porch pirates.
In recent years, they've been the culprits behind stolen bikes, weed plants, shipped packages, bottles of cleaning solution and even a dog.
Now there's another curious item to add to that growing list.
Eric Brignall says a 150-pound solid concrete elephant sculpture - bought as a cultural symbol to commemorate his wife's roots in south India - was stolen from his central Hamilton yard last week.
We were quite surprised. Who steals a solid concrete elephant?" said Brignall. You're not walking far with it - it's heavy."
The disappearance remains a mystery.
Brignall first noticed its absence Sept. 5 while watering his front garden on Eastbourne Avenue. He said a scan of his doorbell surveillance camera came up empty. So, too, did his neighbours'.
I wandered the neighbourhood just in case it may have been a drunk prank or joke, but I didn't see it nearby," he said.
It's the first time Brignall's family has experienced a theft since moving to their two-storey home. The only thing that comes close is an incident years ago that saw their car windows shattered.
What's clear in the case of the elephant is it required some level of planning.
I think someone had to have driven away with it," said Brignall. You can carry it, but not far. You can barely walk a few feet with it before wanting to take a rest."
For four years, the elephant served as the centrepiece to Brignall's colourful front yard and, more importantly, a homage to wife's birthplace of Kerala, India.
She has no family here, so it's a connection to home because elephants are a huge part of the culture there," he said. It's symbolic and become a part of our family."
Brignall said he'd held off on contacting police because there's not much they could do." He plans to eventually buy another elephant - but that could take while.
It took us a long time to find a place in the surrounding area that sold a cement elephant," he said. You see lots of lions and all sorts of other garden decor, but elephants aren't as common."
Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com