'Lost' Big Mango found in Australia

NeverSayGoodBye SG

The "theft" of a three-story, seven-tonne mango statue in northern Australia was revealed Tuesday to be an elaborate publicity stunt by a fast-food chain.

The disappearance Monday of the Big Mango, a towering fibreglass likeness of the fruit which is abundant in its hometown of Bowen, made international headlines and a Facebook page was set up to help find it.

But a chicken restaurant chain has said it was responsible for "borrowing" the tourist attraction.

"The disappearance of Bowen's Big Mango has generated quite a lot of attention over the last day or so, and we confess Nando's was behind moving the three storey high, ten tonne tourist attraction," it said on its website.

"Nando's would like to thank the people of Bowen for being good sports about us 'borrowing' their beautiful mango.

The chain said the reason for the stunt would be revealed soon and that the mango would be put back in place.

The famous fruit, which was unveiled in 2002 as a kitschy tourist attraction, appeared to have been harvested in an ambitious raid by thieves armed with heavy machinery and cranes.

But suspicions were raised when police said they were not investigating.

A caller to ABC radio Tuesday said the mango was lying in the bush behind the information centre where it usually sits.

"They've laid it over on its side on a couple of tractor tyres by the look of it and covered all that end that's facing Bowen with big, long tree branches and shade cloths so nobody can see it," he said.

"It's a pretty hard thing to hide."

There are giant fruits all over Australia, including the Big Banana, the Big Pineapple, the Big Strawberry and multiple Big Apples and Oranges.

There are also giant fishes, a lobster, penguin, kangaroo, koalas, and even a giant cask of wine.

Bowen is known as the mango production capital of Australia.

NeverSayGoodBye SG

Yesterday.....

As thefts go, it was rather an unusual one – thieves made off with a 10 metre high, 10 tonne mango replica from a town in northern Queensland, Australia.

The Big Mango is a nod to the thriving fruit industry in Bowen and is one of 150 Big Things erected as tourist attractions across the country.

CCTV footage appears to have captured the robbery during the early hours of Monday morning.

A crane was used to rip the three-storey giant fruit from the concrete platform on which it had stood since 2002.

The Big Mango was nowhere to be seen when staff showed up for work on Monday morning.

But Bowen Tourism chairman, Paul McLaughlin, told Sky News that he was optimistic about the mango being recovered.

"At the end of the day it's a bloody big mango and I'm sure someone will see it and we'll find it anyway,” he said.

"I think it'll definitely turn up, no doubt about that. We're not sure what has happened but I'm sure we'll get it back."

However, there are suggestions that the theft is actually part of an elaborate marketing stunt.

And police have received no reports of the robbery, according toGuardian Australia.

In the aftermath of the theft, a Facebook page called Bowen’s Big Mango was set up and a press release detailing the incident was posted soon after.

A number of Facebook users expressed their suspicion that the disappearance was a set up. Geniene Prater said: “Hahaha I can’t help but think this is a stunt, but OMG what a ripper of one.”

But Megan Jane Milosevich was more critical. “If this is a joke Bowen's community will never trust our council, mayor, or whoever is involved for whatever reason - publicity or not,” she said.

“It’s pretty stupid to not let the town know what is happening – and if it is stolen I hope the idiots return it.”

North Sydney advertising agency, Banjo Advertising, told Guardian Australia that they were helping with the media blitz to locate the missing mango, but could not categorically deny it was a marketing stunt.

The Bowen tourist centre said it was reviewing security footage in the hope of tracing the mango.

The $90,000, fibreglass structure was erected as a celebration of Bowen’s claim to be the mango producing capital of Australia.