Morgan the mystic unicorn went missing overnight from its southern Alberta home

A metal unicorn that goes by the name of "Morgan the Mystical Unicorn" disappeared from its station overnight in a small southern Alberta community, leaving its owners and other residents devastated.

"I'm still in shock, I don't understand why people would do that," said Dave Smeyers, who owns the unicorn, which stood in the village of Delia, about 170 kilometres northeast of Calgary.

"It's like a child, we need him back."

Standing 12 feet high (about 4.6 metres), measured to the tip of the horn, the unicorn is made of stainless steel, with gold hair and hooves and a white body. It weights 600 pounds (about 272 kilograms) and was originally fabricated by welders in Texas 15 years ago.

"I don't know what the heck people are thinking, but we just want it back," said Smeyers, adding the loss of Morgan will impact his business and tourism in Delia.

He and his partner acquired the unicorn and put it outside their store, Hand Hills Crafts Village Market, in order to draw people in.

"It's kind of the village mascot," he said. 

Smeyers says they were alerted Morgan was missing around 8:30 a.m. Friday and they rushed to the site, only to find the unicorn gone, with nothing but tire tracks and footprints to remember him by.

He believes the theft was planned, as they originally had to bring Morgan in with a crane, from his former resting place at an campground in Irricana, Alta.

Jaydee Bixby lives two doors down from where Morgan once proudly stood.

"It's a pretty magical thing in our small town, we've got a small population, about 215 people, " he said.

He says it's been there over a year and definitely draws people to the town who might not have visited before.

Smeyers says he and his partner are "hurt" by the theft, and that RCMP are investigating the disappearance of the statue.

"The town is devastated ... it's a shame," said Smeyers, who adds he can't afford to offer a reward.