Artist Shane Wilson is “absolutely thrilled” his stolen artwork has been found.
The carved moose antlers, named Yukon Seasons, featured iconic images of the territory and its animals.
The antlers were stolen from the Canada Games Centre in September.
This Tuesday, the $50,000 sculpture was returned to RCMP by a person who wishes to remain anonymous.
RCMP have determined that the person who returned the carving was not involved in the theft.
A tine broke off the antlers during the heist, said Wilson.
So the artwork will need to be repaired.
“It has a darker shade now too,” he said.
“So it was probably stored in a room with a woodstove, a shed or with someone who smokes.”
The artwork belonged to the territory’s permanent art collection.
The work was commissioned by an Italian businessman and took Wilson three years to complete.
However the buyer didn’t follow through and the piece would have been difficult to sell.
So Wilson donated it to the territory.
“The piece really represents the Yukon and I wanted to leave a legacy there,” said Wilson.
The RCMP investigation into the theft is ongoing. (CO)