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B.C. Parks has confirmed that a hollowed-out Volkswagen Beetle that was suspended via cables on a Squamish rock face has been removed.
A group claiming to represent a group of anonymous University of B.C. engineering students took credit for suspending the car last week, as part of a long-running tradition of pranks.
At least two cables were used to suspend the car on the rock face, which is known by climbers as The Papoose.
But officials were not amused by the stunt, saying it posed a public safety risk and RCMP confirmed they were investigating the case.
Now, a B.C. Parks spokesperson has confirmed via email that the car was removed on Wednesday afternoon.
They said that the car was still at the top of the rock, and would be lowered down with the aid of a helicopter on Thursday morning.
The spokesperson added that the Sea-to-Sky Highway would not be closed for the operation, and the car would be transported to the Sea-to-Sky Gondola parking lot via helicopter.
An email sent to CBC News from “spokespersons of the UBC Engineering spirit” last week, claiming to represent both alumni and students, took credit for the stunt.
There is a long history of undergraduate engineering students at the school pulling similar pranks. Some have been successful while others have not.
But local climbers and B.C. Parks said the car — its roof marked with a large “E” and its hood with a maple leaf — posed a hazard.
A prank in Squamish, B.C., is causing an up-roar. From the local First Nation to the climbing community, people want the suspended Volkswagen Beetle removed from the cliff above Darrell Bay. As the CBC’s Alanna Kelly reports, B.C. Parks is trying to find someone to take it down while an investigation is underway.
The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) said in an emailed statement that the car was located on a sacred site within the nation’s territory.
“Placing or hanging anything upon it is extremely disrespectful both to our [people], and to our land,” the statement read.
“We sincerely hope that in the future, people treat it with the respect it deserves.”
