Lunging Bear, Doomed Fish

Ottawa, Ontario

A 12-foot-tall snarling bronze bear has speared an unlucky fish with its claws. Created by the late Bruce Garner in 1980. He called it "Territorial Prerogative" and wanted it displayed in downtown Ottawa so that people would realize that bears had been there first. Today, visitors pose in front of the angry bear as a photo-op, not realizing that they're invading its territory, oblivious to the message behind the statue.

Bruce Garner died in late 2012, and in early 2013 it was announced that the bear would be replaced with a hockey monument. His widow told the CBC, "For heaven's sake, the man has only been dead for five months and then kafoof! ... 'Here we go, let's push that one out of the way.'" City officials did not banish the statue to a storage yard, but instead moved the bear to a more pedestrian-friendly downtown location. Bruce's widow approved, saying that Bruce would be happy because in its previous spot the bear would sometimes be hit by garbage trucks.