Gardaí in Co Kerry are investigating the burning of a giant teddy bear built with the help of the farming community to direct people to a local children’s festival.
The three-metre high Ted, who is made up of five large bales of straw and 10 square bales of hay, is the mascot for the annual Kilflynn Enchanted Fairy Festival.
He is erected each year at festival time on a crossroads near the village off the main Tralee to Listowel Road.
Gardaí were alerted to the fire at around 5.30am on Tuesday.
Mick Brady, chairman of the festival, said the organising committee was genuinely perplexed as to why anyone would set out to damage Ted.
“We genuinely don’t know,” he said.
The mascot has since been replaced but as fireman Ted, who has a hose attached as a precaution.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.