700-pound pelican statue pilfered in California

[October 11, 2011]  NOVATO, Calif. (AP) -- Authorities in the San Francisco Bay area town of Novato are flapping about the theft of a park statue -- a 700-pound bronze pelican.

The Marin Independent Journal says the statue, titled "Omay" -- a Miwok Indian word for pelican -- apparently was stolen over the weekend from a park near Scottsdale Pond.

The statue was commissioned by the city council in 2007 at a cost of $27,500. It is 9 feet tall with a 10-foot wingspan.

Novato police say it may have been stolen for its metal, but the motive isn't clear yet. They're offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the thieves.

[Associated Press]

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