Traffic Bridge parrot mystery continues

No one had any leads Monday on who might have been behind a prank that saw a large bird statue removed from a local restaurant and placed on top of the Traffic Bridge over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the City of Saskatoon said security will be tightened up at the bridge construction site after a parrot figurine that regularly sits on the roof of the Earls restaurant on 2nd Avenue North found its way to the top of one of the bridge’s trusses.

Estimated at just under two-and-a-half metres tall and weighing about 27 kilograms, the parrot was taken from its perch near the restaurant’s rooftop sign and moved 10 blocks before it was somehow lifted on top of the bridge.

An Earls spokesperson declined to officially comment on the situation, but one employee told 650 CKOM the rooftop parrot had previously been stolen a few years back. At that time, a group of people dressed as painters reportedly weren’t questioned when they walked into the building and took the statue.

Some on social media questioned whether the prank was the work of engineering students, who are well-known for similar antics.

A car was hung from Broadway Bridge in 2002 during an escalating battle of pranks between students in the University of Saskatchewan’s engineering and agriculture faculties.

But the Saskatoon Engineering Students’ Society denied any part in the weekend parrot caper.

“Having not had any involvement in this incident, we do not know how someone could have positioned this parrot, safely or otherwise,” a representative told 650 CKOM via Facebook message.

While denying involvement, the spokesperson said they weren’t surprised to see engineering students tabbed as potential suspects.

“I understand the suspicion based on our past bridge related activities.”

Workers got the parrot down from the bridge Sunday, and it was returned to its perch at Earls later that same afternoon.