Strange theft: Dortmund’s Titanenwurz nonetheless lacking – no additional safety | EUROtoday

The metropolis is lacking the stolen crowd favourite “David” – a uncommon titan root that smells like carrion Dortmund and the Rombergpark Botanical Garden. “The motives for the theft are completely unclear,” stated a metropolis spokeswoman. «The plant wants particular care. Expertise is required to make sure that the Titan Arum survives and doesn’t perish.” The police opened legal proceedings for theft.

The bulb of the uncommon and spectacularly flowering plant, which weighs 20 to 30 kilograms, had been dug up from its pot and stolen. When precisely this occurred is unsure. The gardeners within the botanical backyard observed the absence virtually every week in the past on October eighth. Two days later – final Friday – a grievance was filed.

According to a police spokesman, work was final carried out within the space the place the bucket was situated on September twenty second and the whole lot was apparently high quality. Therefore he should theft in all probability befell between September twenty second and October eighth. According to the town, “David” fashioned a leaf that withered on the finish of September, then the dormant tuber was coated with soil once more.

There had been no particular safety precautions

The big titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) is native to Sumatra and may be very uncommon. A number of botanical gardens in Germany have a specimen. However, there have been no particular safety precautions akin to video surveillance for the crowd-puller “David” in Dortmund, the town spokeswoman stated in response to a dpa request.

The Titanenwurz was in a big plant showroom in Rombergpark. «There are many particular crops there. “You can’t secure every plant individually,” stated the spokeswoman. A titan arum solely blooms for a couple of days each few years – after which with the most important inflorescence in your entire plant kingdom and a foul odor of carrion. When they bloomed in 2018 and 2021, hundreds got here to the Botanical Garden to witness the extraordinary occasion.

Police are asking for info from witnesses

The police requested for info from witnesses. The actual worth of the stolen tuber can’t but be quantified, however preliminary estimates put it within the four-digit vary. The loss was nice for the Botanical Garden and the town of Dortmund, it stated. There is just a little hope that the nice media curiosity may persuade the perpetrator or perpetrators to vary their minds and the tuber will probably be returned.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:251014-930-160062/2