Big Swoop will be temporarily removed from Garema Place following more damage to the sculpture, the City Renewal Authority has said.
This comes after the magpie sculpture was vandalised sometime over the weekend with the bird's beak, head and chip damaged. The fencing around the statue, designed to deter people from getting too close, was also knocked over.
An authority spokesperson told The Canberra Times the agency would remove the sculpture as soon as possible for repair, and plan how to prevent further damage.
"Big Swoop was designed to be durable and resilient, because it was the artist's intention that it be accessible to the public so they could interact with it. But we are saddened to see that some members of the community are testing the limits of this much-loved artwork," they said.
Canberra’s giant magpie sculpture has been targeted by vandals again.
— Lewis Haskew🎙 (@LewisHaskew) April 3, 2022
Poor Big Swoop 😢 @mixcanberra @CityRenewalCBR pic.twitter.com/htxGtznKOk
"While we would like to understand why this has occurred, our immediate concern is to work with the artist, Yanni Pounartzis, to have it removed as soon as possible for repair and to plan how to prevent further damage from occurring.
"Big Swoop has been warmly embraced by the community since it was first installed in mid-March, with many people visiting the sculpture in person and locally and nationally on social media."
Previously, the bird's feet and chip were smashed just hours after it was first unveiled on March 16. Mr Pounartzis patched up the damage at the time but said some long-term precautions such as a permanent fence might be needed.
The damage has been reported to ACT Policing.
