Half of giant gorilla statue found near Dundee – 90 miles from home

Half of a giant gorilla statue stolen from a garden centre has been found 90 miles away near Dundee.

Gary the Gorilla was reported missing from Reynard Nursery in Carluke in Lanarkshire last March.

He had become a popular fixture with customers over the course of a decade before being taken.

But the back half of the 8ft ornament has now turned up in a bush in a layby on the A92 between Dundee and Arbroath.

It was recovered by workers from the transport agency Bear Scotland.

The garden centre is now appealing for the return of the other half of Gary.

‘A crucial piece of this monkey puzzle is still missing’

A Facebook post said: “On Thursday March 21 at the back of nine we were sent a message by two members of the general public whose family work for Bear Scotland and sent images.

“Full of excitement, we wrote back to them and got the number and arranged pick-up in Dundee the following morning.

“And yes, we can confirm that Gary’s back.

“The silverback was found on the A92 between Dundee and Arbroath but it wasn’t quite the wholesome reunion we were expecting.

“There was a crucial piece of this monkey puzzle still missing.

“Last year, Gary’s abduction started a hunt of ape-ic proportions. We were blown away by the public’s support.

“Now, in trying to disguise Gary further, he has only become more recognisable.

“So we are now asking, anyone with any information on the whereabouts of Gary’s better half, please contact us at Reynard Nursery.”

‘We were shocked to see a gorilla’s bum staring us in the face’

Andy Moir, one of the Bear Scotland team that found Gary, said: “We were out on our usual morning route inspection when we spotted something lurking in the bushes at the back of a layby.

“When we pulled in to check it out we were pretty shocked to see a gorilla’s bum staring us in the face.

“After we composed ourselves we managed to catch the escapee in the van and take it back to the depot where we set about trying to figure out where it came from.

“A little digging online found some articles about a gorilla stolen from Carluke garden centre last year and we were able to reunite what we found of Gary with them.”

Police Scotland said all lines of inquiry had been followed after the theft last year.

A spokesman said: “Extensive enquiries were carried out and no one was identified in connection with the theft.

“All available lines of enquiry have been followed, but any new information will be investigated.”