One of Edinburgh’s iconic Elm Row pigeon statues has been retrieved by the council after being missing for days.
The mystery started days ago when one of the pigeons was reported as stolen to Police Scotland and the council.
Following the report, Councillor Scott Arthur – Transport and Environment Convener – commented to The Student:
“I was extremely disappointed to hear of the theft of one of Elm Row’s iconic pigeons, which were finally returned in July after years in storage. Their return, as part of Trams to Newhaven, formed the centrepiece of the newly-improved Elm Row, and we wanted everyone to be able to enjoy them.
“This has been reported to the police and we are sourcing CCTV footage of the area to support investigations. In the meantime I would urge anyone with information to come forward to help reinstate this much-loved pigeon in its rightful home.”
However, just days later, the owner of Dean Jones Hairdressing on Elm Row came forward stating that he had found the lost pigeon statue in front of his salon and had given it to a neighboring cafe for safekeeping.
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He then notified the council, who retrieved the statue on 6 December and are planning to reinstate the iconic bird back to where it belongs.
This comes after the pigeons were recently reinstated last July after being gone for 17 years. They had been removed in 2006 for tram renovations, which were completed this year.
The owner of the salon mentioned the significance of these statues for the Leith community, commenting:
“We remember when the pigeons were in their old location and having them back was amazing for all the businesses around because they’re great pieces of artwork. We jokingly gave them all different names when they returned, and it was poor wee Ethel that got vandalised.”
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Councillor Scott Arthur expressed his relief that the pigeon had been found, however he also acknowledged that:
“This is still a case of vandalism which we take very seriously. We will continue to work with Police Scotland to assist investigations into this crime.”
Police Scotland declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Image via Ava Lang.