A buffalo skull has been found after it went missing from an outdoor art installation in Okotoks.
The skull disappeared last month from an art display that was created by First Nations artist Rocky Barstad at Westridge Close Park.
The missing piece was found in an alley on Sunday morning and recovered by Okotoks RCMP.
The skull is now in the possession of the Town, said Allan Boss, Culture, Heritage & Events team leader with the Town of Okotoks.
Boss said the Town will be remounting the skull to its spot atop the art piece and repairing some minor damage, after first getting input from the Barstads.
“We just have to figure out exactly how we need to do it, so we'll talk to the artist’s family and go about getting it reinstalled,” Boss said.
Area resident Sheila Hughes, who reported the skull’s disappearance to police, said she is ecstatic that it has been found.
The damaged statue is called Okotoks, and it represents a meeting place and is a way of giving thanks for the land on which it sits, its inscription says.
Barstad, who created the art piece in 1992, has had his work featured at the Bar U Ranch, Kananaskis Lodge and the Aboriginal Peoples Gallery at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton, among other places. He also operated an art gallery in High River until 2012.
Hughes said neighbourhood residents are interested in working with the Town to provide some lighting in the park.
-with files from Amir Said
