Buffalo skull stolen from Okotoks statue found dumped on side of road

Part of an Indigenous art sculpture that went missing from Okotoks last week was found dumped on the side of the road over the weekend.

The missing buffalo skull was spotted by Okotoks resident Trevor Enns on Sunday morning, up against a fence on a sideyard across the street from his home.

Enns tells CityNews he took the missing skull to RCMP. It has since been returned to the town and will be put back on the statue at a later date.

The piece was first reported missing 10 days ago when a resident at Westridge Close Park noticed something wasn’t right with the sculpture and called police.

“I looked at the statue and I thought something looks strange, there was rebar sticking out, so I looked at it a little closer and noticed the buffalo head was missing, so I was quite shocked,” Sheila Hughes said.

The sculpture was installed in 1992 by well-known local First Nations artist, Rocky Barstad. Town officials say it is a big part of Truth and Reconciliation and has a “deep connection to the land.”

A plaque displayed on the side of the statue reads “this piece of art represents a meeting place and is a way of giving thanks to the land on which it sits.”