RANKIN INLET -A stolen nanuq carving will return safely to its den in a display case at the Rankin Inlet airport this week.

Manager Sara Acher will be extremely pleased to have a stolen carving returned to the Kivalliq Regional Visitor's Centre at the Rankin Inlet airport terminal in August of 2009. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The piece, valued at more than $500, was purchased from carver Paul Malliki about three years ago to be displayed at the Kivalliq Regional Visitors' Centre at the airport.

Centre manager Sara Acher came to work on a Monday morning this past month to discover the bear was stolen during the weekend.

The carving had been housed in a new display area build kitty-corner to the centre's main room.

The case was locked, but the culprit managed to pry the Plexiglass open enough to pull the bear out.

Acher said it was disheartening and a bit of a shock to have the bear stolen.

"It's sad, really, because we have these carvings to display the work of the different artists in the Kivalliq Region," said Acher.

"Many people see these pieces while passing through the centre and, without them here, they might not be aware of the wonderful work available in our region."

Acher said the displays are an effective marketing tool to help Kivalliq artists sell their work.

She was shaken by the incident, and wonders how someone could gain entrance to an area that's supposed to be locked in the evenings.

"I'm kind of over it now, but at the beginning this really, really saddened me.

"I kept thinking: why do we put the effort into having these available for people to see when someone is going to steal them?

"But, on our part, we really should have had a better locking system on the display case, which we will have.

"At the time, we intended to have a much-larger display in that area which couldn't be pulled through the glass, but we were waiting on some things to be completed, so we just put a temporary display in there."

The hero of the story turned out to be George Lever, who purchased the bear without realizing it was stolen.

Acher said as soon as Lever saw the posters the centre had put around town, he immediately turned it in before going out on vacation.

The bear has been housed in the evidence locker at the local RCMP station and will be returned to the centre this week.

"Everyone was really upset about this and when I called places like the Co-op and the Matchbox Gallery, they were all just great in helping us get our bear back.

"The whole community pulled together in trying to find it for us."