Mango Alert: Australians Puzzle Over Huge Stolen Fruit
It's 33 feet tall and 26 feet wide; it weighs seven tons. And as of last night, it's missing: a giant mango vanished from its perch in Bowen, Australia, where it was erected in tribute to the region's mango industry. Some say it could be a p.r. stunt; others are having fun with "Mango Gate" on Twitter.
The Big Mango became a tourist attraction after it was erected 12 years ago to commemorate the "Kensington Pride" mango that's grown in Bowen, which bills itself as the mango capital of Australia. The gargantuan fruit cost $90,000 when it was built.
Reports that Bowen officials didn't immediately file a complaint with police have driven speculation that the incident is all a publicity stunt meant to drive interest in Bowen, on the Queensland coast in northeast Australia. But if the theft was staged, tourism officials were staying in character Monday.
"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.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/24/282111964/mango-alert-australians-puzzle-over-huge-stolen-fruit?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=npr&utm_campaign=nprnews&utm_content=02%2F24%2F2014
