Or was brought back to its spot at 7535 Girard Ave., near Harry's Cafe, sometime overnight Tuesday, according to the organizers of CowParade La Jolla.
Michael Kinsman, CowParade La Jolla operations director, wrote in an e-mail Thursday morning, "We had heard rumblings that someone had taken it for a school prank and then panicked when they realized it was a felony. We figured they didn't know what to do with it -- it's not an easy object to hide -- so they decided to return it."
The cow had several scrapes and bruises and "was very dirty -- a sure sign it was left outside, but no damage of significance" he added.
Known as the "Werc Cow," designed and painted by San Diego artist Werc Alvarez, the the life-sized, fiberglass cow was stolen sometime between April 25 and 26 from its "pasture."
Alvarez, a spray paint artist who painted the cow, told Kinsman after it was recovered: "I'm really happy it is back. The whole time I wondered "Why my cow?"
The cow is part of a public art project comprised of nearly 40 cows designed and painted by local artists. The exhibit started March 15 and will continue until June 15. The cows will be auctioned on July 11. It is estimated that the cow would raise between $5,000 and $10,000 at auction.
"The bottom line for us is that the cow was returned ... That is going to mean several thousand dollars for our beneficiaries, Rady Children's Hospital and the Zoological Society," Kinsman wrote. "We're delighted it was returned safely."
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