Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (Sep 12/05) - A unique symbol of Fort Smith has been destroyed by vandals.

The life-sized buffalo statue in front of the Fort Smith Rec Centre was pulled off its pedestal in the early morning hours of Aug. 20 and then demolished.

Police suspect the culprits were underage members of a Yellowknife rock band in town to play at the South Slave Friendship Festival.

Mayor Peter Martselos, who was instrumental in having the statue erected in late 2002, says the vandals tied something to the statue to pull it down.

When it was on the ground, they attacked it, possibly with some kind of tools.

"They worked very hard, because the fibreglass statue was very strong," Martselos says.

Sgt. Craig Seafoot of the Fort Smith RCMP says there is enough evidence to lay charges of vandalism or mischief causing more than $5,000 in damages.

Purchased from Edmonton

The statue was purchased from Edmonton by the Town of Fort Smith, with the support of a number of businesses and government agencies.

It was one of about 30 identical statues built for the 2001 World Track and Field Championships.

"It's going to be hard to replace," Martselos says.

His estimate is it could cost about $5,000 to buy another statue, if one is available, plus freight and installation. "We're looking at close to $10,000."

Pat Burke, one of the founders of the festival and Fort Smith's deputy mayor, says he is disappointed by the destruction of the statue and all vandalism.

"One of the big things is it may tend to give the festival a black eye," he says.

Dennis Bevington, another festival founder, notes it has been held for 17 years and the destruction of the statue is the first incident of its kind involving visiting musicians.