The Waitaki District Council is appealing for information after their panda statues were vandalised – again.
In a statement on social media, the council wrote "once again someone has decided to mess with the Ōamaru Public Garden pandas, this time by graffiti-ing over them".
The latest offending marked the tenth time the hand-carved statues made of limestone had been damaged since 2022. They were first installed in 2018.
In 2022, the council said "some git has been removing the ears from the pandas". Another appeal was made in 2025 following another ear theft.
They said each time council has repaired and restored the statues – for a total cost of about $1250.
"Council also tried putting a camera on-site, but with no success in identifying those responsible for the vandalism," a spokesperson said.
"We'd hate for our pandas to become an endangered species, and we know how loved they are by the community."
Anyone with information or had seen anything unusual was urged to report it to the council.
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