Mystery of ape escape is solved as gorilla statue found in lay-by
HIS abduction attracted national attention, with news of his theft going viral and heartfelt appeals for his safe return made on TV.
Now, almost a year to the day that he was spirited away in the dead of night, Gary the Gorilla has been returned to his rightful home – outside a Scots garden centre.
The 8ft fibreglass model was snatched from Reynard Nursery in Carluke, Lanarkshire, last March. Owner Andrew Scott had reported the theft to police after CCTV showed a gang unbolting Gary from the ground and bundling him into a getaway van. However, staff from roads agency Bear Scotland have brought joy to the Scott family after they discovered the £3,000 model in a lay-by off the A92 in Fife.
They then tracked down the garden centre on social media and arranged for it to be collected by Mr Scott.
The gorilla had stood at the gates of the garden centre for more than a decade. However, that all changed on March 19 of last year when the audacious ape-napping took place.
Mr Scott, 57, had said the theft appeared to be ‘well planned’ and he lamented the fact the CCTV footage had been too grainy to identify anyone.
Speaking at the time, he said: ‘I honestly don’t know why they took him. Particularly as Gary has been through the wars a wee bit. His eyes have faded to a yellow and he has no pupils in his eyes. But he belongs at home with us.’
The first Mr Scott knew of Gary’s disappearance was when he drove into work the morning after the robbery.
‘I actually drove right past and didn’t notice that he’d gone,’ he had said. ‘Then my son asked me, “Where’s Gary? What did you do with him?” I went up to the gate immediately and saw he wasn’t there. I thought, “Oh. Right. Oh no”.
‘I reckon at least four or five people were involved in taking Gary away going by the shadows and the fact that there were two vehicles.
‘Initially I thought it might have been a prank, but when we saw the CCTV footage it was obvious that it wasn’t. It was too well planned.’
Mr Scott swung into action, alerting police, and made a Facebook appeal for Gary’s return. Wearing a handmade sticker reading BRING GARY HOME he read from a statement with all the solemnity of one who has had a muchloved family member kidnapped.
‘Our beloved Gary the gorilla has been taken from us,’ he said, his voice breaking with emotion. ‘As many of you will know, Gary was an ape of few words. He also brought a lot of joy to ourselves and our customers.’
Concerned gorilla fans up and down the country were soon anxiously sharing the hashtag #bringgaryhome.
Mr Scott had high hopes of a reunion last April when he was sent photos of a lookalike gorilla tied to a trailer on the M25 and on the M40 near Warwick, but it turned out to be one of several versions made by the manufacturer.