Riding Mountain National Park topiary moose toppled over by vandals

A popular statue in Manitoba'sRiding Mountain National Park wastoppled over and officials are hoping someone has information on what happened.

The park's topiary moose was vandalized sometime overnight Wednesday into Thursday, according to a post on the park's Facebook page.

"It's been upsetting for a lot of people," saidDella Popowitch, head gardener at Riding Mountain National Park. She said many people, including herself, were shocked and saddened when they saw what happened.

Photos show the moose, which once stood tall in front of the Riding Mountain National Park visitor's centre, with its head down on the ground nose first with its two front legs bent over.

"It always saddens us when property is damaged in the park but this one really hits home to our gardeners who have put countless hours into building this topiary to create a memorable photo op for our visitors," read the park's Facebook post.

The topiary moose was designed by world-renowedtopiary designerJoe Kytelast summer and put together by park staff, Popowitch said.

"It's going to take a little bit of time to repair it and get it back up to its beautiful state but we're hoping to have it ready for photo opportunities in the next two to three weeks," she said.Popowitch said the moose has already become an attraction in the park, with people from all over the world coming to take pictures in front of it.

The park asks anyone with information on what might have happened to the topiary moose to call the RCMP.