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Iconic lion statues at St. Augustine's Bridge of Lions vandalized

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Caution tape surrounds one of the iconic lion statues that sits at the base of the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine.

The other statue was already cleaned up, but the city’s director of general services, Jim Piggott, said both were targeted by vandals last week.

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“There's some oily compound that was placed on both the north and the south lions on the paw and the ball,” Piggott said.

The oily substance seeped into the granite on one of the statues and has become difficult to remove.

“We've tried some de-greasing solution from the dish washing soap, and we're going on the third step, which is going to be next week,” Piggott said.

Piggott said it’s not the first time this has happened.

“About two to three years ago, we had someone color the eye balls red and the nose red on both lions,” Piggott said.

Locals like Craig McLaughlin and Bill Reiman didn’t take the news lightly.

“I think it's ridiculous. I mean, St. Augustine is such a beautiful place,” McLaughlin said.

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“To have something as stupid as that happen is unfair to the residents,” Reiman said.

So far, the city has spent $1,000 on the cleanup, but that number is expected to rise.

“These lions are our crown jewel,” Piggott said.

Because buildings sit too far from the monuments, Piggott said no cameras were able to capture the incident.

The city said they don’t want to be forced to put a fence around the statues, but it’s something they’ll consider if it keeps happening.

The lions were a gift to the city of St. Augustine from Andrew Anderson, M.D. back in 1926.