April 19, 2022 3.23 pm This story is over 23 months old

Jeep vandalised and monkeys stolen from Lincoln City Safari

Jungle trail goes wild
The jeep at St Marks Shopping Centre was vandalised, and then the monkeys on the vehicle were stolen four days later. | Photo: Lincoln BIG
By Local Democracy Reporter

The Lincoln City Safari has been tarnished with a similar fate to the Lincoln Imp Trail last year, as one of the displays has been vandalised and had the monkeys stolen from it.

The Lincoln City Safari began across the city on Wednesday, April 13, with a series of animal sculptures made from artificial grass placed in various locations for you to find.

Animals such as lions, elephants and zebras are on display, but it has taken just one day of the trail being open for something to happen to the public displays.

The Lincoln City Safari trail is officially underway | Photo: The Lincolnite

The jeep located at St Marks Shopping Centre was vandalised on Thursday, April 14 and then the monkeys that were in the gate with the vehicle were stolen on the evening of Monday, April 18.

Organisers of the Lincoln City Safari, Lincoln Business Improvement Group, has said it shows “great sadness” at the monkeys being stolen, and information has been passed on to police.

Lincolnshire Police are currently in the process of identifying the offenders, as the incident is believed to have been caught on CCTV.

The Lincoln City imp on the lower High Street was vandalised.

It is a similar case to what happened on last year’s Lincoln Imp Trail, where two separate sculptures were vandalised last summer, both in acts of drunken foolery.

A 45-year-old man was ordered to pay almost £5,000 for the damage caused to the Lincoln City imp on the lower High Street in August, while a remorseful 20-year-old was told he had to pay back over £2,000 for the damage he caused the Community Imp on Guildhall Street.

The original imp was destroyed.