Oto had been strategically placed at the bottom of Otorohanga's big Kiwi's beak. The big Kiwi's All Blacks' jersey was left behind, suggesting those behind the deed clearly weren't fans. Photo / Alwaysconnected
Otorohanga District Council has received a tip-off into its investigation into the whereabouts of its Lions rugby tour mascot, Oto the Lion.
The giant soft toy went missing just hours after being placed next to the town's permanent mascot, the Big Kiwi, yesterday morning.
He had pride of place on the main road yesterday but after just a few hours he'd been taken.
In a post on the town's community Facebook page, Alwaysconnected, the council has sent out a plea for him to come home.
"OTO The Lion is not going to sleep tonight. He has gone missing from under the big Kiwi. if you see him please return him to Otorohanga District Council or any shop on Main Street. OTO The Lion is helping to welcome Visitors to Otorohanga for the Lions Tour. We really need him back," they posted.
However, this afternoon, council spokesman Day Dowd said they'd just received an anonymous tip-off that Oto had been seen in a car in Thames.
"An anonymous phone call came through, 'your lion has been seen in Thames' and they hung up," he said.
Dowd said they had suspicions that the thief was more than a likely a Lions supporter as Otorohanga was too small a town for a local to get away with such daylight robbery.
"You can't mistake him. He is a very big lion."
Another reason in thinking a tourist has carried out the dastardly deed is that the big Kiwi's All Blacks' jersey was left behind. They clearly weren't fans, he said.
Oto had been strategically placed at the bottom of the big Kiwi's beak - perhaps as a sign of submission to the All Blacks' flag draped bird.
It still remains unclear if Oto was mistaken for lost property or stolen by someone mesmerised by his fluffy charisma.
It's understood a NZDF aircraft and multiple helicopters are involved.