A brass buffalo skull that went missing from a public art piece in Okotoks has been found.
The sculpture sits in the middle of Westridge Close Park, and features several buffalo skulls, with the topmost one having gone missing on the weekend of Feb. 22.
Installed by T'suu T'ina artist Rocky Barstad of High River in 1992, the art piece is beloved by the residents of Westridge Close, who rallied to find the skull after it was discovered missing.
Just a week after its disappearance, it was found close by.
Trevor Enns spotted the skull in the alley behind his house while he was working on his car on Sunday morning (March 2).
He rang Okotoks RCMP detachment, with officers picking it up soon after, and turning it over to the Town of Okotoks.
It's to be reinstalled at an indeterminate date.
With the skull being found in such an open place, it's likely it was placed there recently by whoever took it.
"I think whoever took it really decided that they made quite a big mistake doing it and put it back somewhere where it could be found and quite safe. Definitely, I think they had a change of heart as to what they decided to do by taking it in the first place," says Sheila Hughes, who led the charge on social media after noticing the skull had been taken.
The week following the skull's disappearance saw a surge of support, with locals sharing their memories of the park and the sculpture.
Sheila was even contacted by Rocky Barstad's son Shane after he was made aware of the situation.
"Shane said he was about 10 years old when the piece was put in, so he kind of remembered it but not fully... It was really nice to reach out and have a bit of a chat with him about it. It brought back memories, I think, for him about his dad's art."
As for the future of the art piece, Hughes says the town plans on reinstalling it once conditions get a little warmer, and she's hoping to have some members of the Barstad family down to Westridge Close to see it.
She's hoping to inquire about the possibility of having solar motion detector lights installed in the park to prevent further incidents like this.
"It was amazing, the community spirit that got around. We're really, really excited about that, and very thankful."
Enns is glad to see the missing piece of his tight-knit community returned.
"I think it's relieving for a lot of people that live in our cul-de-sac and are used to seeing it. My kids always go and play around it, it's kind of an iconic symbol, it's got some meaning behind it. It'll be nice when it's back, it's part of our neighbourhood barbecues we have in the summer time, it'll be a nice piece to have back again."