September 27, 2006 | Funny Bits

Thieves get wood

Masked thieves were caught on camera last weekend chiselling off the penis of a wooden Maori figurine, or tiki, on the steps of the Whangarei public library in northern New Zealand.

The man who carved the statues said the theft had damaged the "mana", or pride, of the city and declared that he was already working on a replacement.

Police said they were at a loss to explain the theft, particularly as a nearby statue of Tangaroa, the Maori god of the sea, was better endowed.

We guess the thieves weren't size queens!

• Penis theft 'damages pride' of NZ city [National Nine News / Melbourne]