FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Two stolen bonsai trees have been “mysteriously returned,” according to staff at the Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way.
The executive director with the museum tells KIRO 7 News that the pair of trees reappeared late Tuesday night. A security guard spotted the trees in the middle of the road leading up to the museum.
One of the trees, a Japanese black pine, was grown by a Japanese-American man in an internment camp during World War II.
It was set to become the centerpiece of an upcoming exhibit to commemorate the ending of the war.
The other tree, a Silverberry, suffered some broken branches, probably due to improper transportation and handling, but officials both bonsai trees and their pots appear to be intact.
It’s not the first time someone has stolen a tree from the museum. Years ago, a similar theft took place. That tree was returned after they announced a “no questions asked” policy if it was returned. However, it sustained damage and took several years for the tree to be at a point where it could be put on display.
This time they expect to be able to return the trees to display.