"We received a call from a concerned citizen Friday morning, stating the statue was no longer in the park," Chuck Ramm of Temple Parks and Recreation said. "After surveying the area, it was clear that the bronze statue had forcibly been removed from the concrete footings."
Temple Police Department said it appeared a hacksaw was used to cut the 85-pound pig statue from the concrete base.
Officials said the pig was still in the park at the end of the day on Thursday, as renovations to the area were underway.
Dr. Alan Jones and the Forsythe Foundation originally donated the three bronze pigs to the park in 2007 and Parks and Recreation it would cost the department about $3,500 to replace the stolen statue.
The pigs, which were installed as part of the Art in the Park program coordinated by Parks and Recreation and Temple Parks Foundation, had become a popular attraction in the park.
"The pigs have really become a part of the community to the point where even some of the neighbors come out and decorate them at different times of the year," Assistant Director of Temple Parks Chuck Ramm said.
Thieves and vandals had targeted the pig statues in 2013 when the smallest pig statue was stolen from the park.
Police eventually found the $800 bronze piglet in a car truck after receiving a tip.
Anyone with information about the stolen pig and its whereabouts is encouraged to contact Temple Police.
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