Statue given detachable penis to thwart thieves

A town in south west France has come up with a solution to stop thieves stealing the penis of a statue in the park. The seaside town of Arcachon has been faced with a long-running problem.



Their three-metre statue of Greek mythology's divine hero, Heracles, which was erected in the Parc Mauresque in 1948, keeps getting his penis removed by vandals, leaving nothing but a thin metal rod for a manhood.

"I wouldn't want anyone, not even my worst enemies, to go through what happens to this statue," Mayor Yves Foulon said at a recent meeting. So they have come up with the idea of a removable prosthetic that can be attached to the main body for special ceremonies in the park.



"Considering Heracles' fragile manhood, we've chosen to give him a removable prosthetic that we can add to the statue before each ceremony," the town's deputy mayor Martine Phelippot said. "This is the best solution, otherwise you just end up constantly chasing after the anatomy of Heracles," she added.