Canadian police stunned after thieves steal a 500-pound stuffed animal from Alberta spa resort

A 200kg stuffed polar bear was stolen from a wellness resort in Alberta, Canada, leaving locals shocked and police stunned by the aggravated theft.

The thieves grabbed Harry the polar bear, who was between teenagers and 3.5 meters long, during one of the coldest days at the former Lily Lake Resort, now known as the Lionsheart Wholeness Center, 30 miles north of Edmonton.

In a photo shared by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the stuffed beast is seen bellowing its mouth and standing high on a second-floor platform as its head reaches the roof.

“I actually didn't realize how important this is because it's just so bizarre, right?” Wanda Rowe, executive director of the wellness center, shared The globe and the mail.

Alberta RCMP officer Kelsey Davidge described the crime as “the great polar bear robbery” and urged residents to be on the lookout for the stolen bear in case it appears for sale online.

The thieves grabbed Harry the polar bear, who was between teenagers and 3.5 meters long, during one of the coldest days at the former Lily Lake Resort, now known as the Lionsheart Wholeness Center, 30 miles north of Edmonton.

Davidge said, “That would be immediately noticeable if you saw that somewhere, right?”

Rowe reported the theft of the taxidermy bear to police on January 22, but believes it was stolen a week earlier during the cold snap that hit the area.

She said regular 24-hour security patrols were canceled the night of Jan. 13 as temperatures dropped to -35 degrees and frigid winds made it feel like -53 degrees in Alberta.

“There's some irony in it, stolen on the coldest day of the year… and a polar bear in central Alberta,” Rowe said CTVNews.

The giant stuffed bear was secured in a building, but the thieves broke in and cut the cables, Rowe said.

Traces were left everywhere as the thieves pulled Harry over the balcony, down and out through the front double doors.

'It had to be planned. It had to be 100 percent planned,” Rowe said, adding that the thieves likely had a truck waiting out front.

She said: “For us it was emotional at first because it's been here so long. We also felt violated that someone came in and just took this away.”

The polar bear named Harry has special meaning to the staff at Lionsheart, described by Rowe as an Indigenous healing and education center.

A restaurant at the resort was named Harry's Den & Grill in honor of the bear, which had been on the property for many years.

“He really was an icon here, and it's weird to walk by and not see him now,” Rowe said. “It feels like something is missing.”

The resort lost a pair of stuffed raccoons during a similar burglary last August. The cost of three stuffed animals totaled about $26,000, police said

The giant teddy bear was secured in a building, but the thieves broke in and cut the cables

The polar bear named Harry has special meaning to the staff at Lionsheart, described as an Indigenous healing and education center

Indigenous cultural knowledge teacher Andrew Nanooch said, “The bear is one of the greatest symbols in our culture.”

“Generations have seen things taken from us… it would be kind of nice to get one thing back.”

The resort lost a pair of stuffed raccoons during a similar burglary last August. The cost of three stuffed animals totaled about $26,000, police said.

On one of the fur manufacturers' websitesa taxidermy polar bear of similar size to Harry costs a whopping $29,850.

The robbery of Harry also shocked Albertans, with one person expressing disbelief during an interview.

'You're kidding, here in the room? Any clues?' David Quinn asked. 'Why would anyone do anything to the polar bear? Thats crazy.'