Thieves steal 100kg statue of Pumbaa the pig

WHY would anyone want to steal a 100kg statue of a pig?

That is the question Hervey Bay's Samantha O'Hanlon and her husband Barry were left asking after they were woken from their sleep in the early hours of Thursday morning.

In what would have been a 'back-breaking' effort for thieves to lift, Pumbaa the pig, the name for the concrete statue, was stolen from the front balcony of Samantha and Barry's Oleander Avenue home.

"Barry said to me 'oh my God Pumbaa is missing!'," Samantha said.

"It was normal for the dogs to bark where we live but it was unusual for them to continue carrying on so we knew something was up."

The statue is worth about $900 and was named by the couple after Pumbaa, the boar from Disney's Lion King.

Samantha O'Hanlon and her husband Barry with the spot where their 100 kg concrete statue Pumbaa was stolen from their front porch in Kawungan. Alistair Brightman

The theft happened about 12.30am on Thursday and when the couple walked outside to see what was going on Pumbaa was missing and no-one was to be seen.

"I thought 'you're kidding me, who would want to steal our Pumbaa?'" Samantha said.

"I bought it for Barry's 55th birthday from a speciality store in Rockhampton.

Pumbaa the pig statue was stolen from a Hervey Bay home about 12.30pm on Thursday. Contributed

"Barry's family crest is a boar so it's sentimental."

Samantha said the statue took two grown men to move and weighed up to 100kg.

The concrete statue stands about 60cms off the ground, appears angry, has two white tusks and is grey with yellow eyes and black feet, standing on a blown and yellow base.

If you have any information that may help police with their investigations call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.