Myfanwy MacLeod's "the Birds" tower over the Olympic Village plaza.

At the struggling Olympic Village development in southeast False Creek, two 18-foot sparrows dwarf the quiet landscape.

The statues were supposed to emphasize the importance of nature – to reverse the traditional roles of humans and animals. But as the site struggles to attract residents, the birds easily rule over the empty urban plaza.

The City of Vancouver commissioned “the Birds” as part of their Olympic public art program in 2010. Last year also saw the unveiling of Douglas Coupland’s LED-lit orca next to the new Convention Centre.

If there is one recurring theme in the Vancouver’s official public art, it is statues of animals. Specifically: birds, bears and orcas.

It seems to have begun with the “Orcas in the City” project in 2004 – followed by “Spirit Bears in the City” and “Eagles in the City” – that temporarily filled Vancouver’s streets with large fibreglass whales, bears and birds painted by various local artists.

A fundraising venture for the B.C. Lions Society for Children with Disabilities, the project has raised over $2 million for the charity from auctions of the statues.

Despite the good cause, Vancouverites still disagreed on whether their streets should be filled with the kitschy, kid-friendly statues. Many in the local arts community shuddered as tourists snapped photos of bears painted like Darth Vader and Elvis.

Artist Richard Tetrault said that projects like “Art in the City” do little to highlight the work of local artists, or create a meaningful reflection of Vancouver’s culture.

Douglas Coupland's "Digital Orca" is a pixelated version of a city mascot.

Instead, they ask artists to conform to a strict template void of social or political commentary, and create a tourist-friendly image of Vancouver as authentic as gift-shop maple syrup.

Yet for Myfanwy MacLeod, creator of “the Birds” at Olympic Village, statues of animals do send a message.

She aimed to highlight biodiversity by featuring a foreign creature introduced to North America – the house sparrow – and allowing it to dwarf the landscape.

Will onlookers appreciate this message, though, when the postcard-perfect birds simply appear to reflect Vancouver’s “green” image? It may ring true for Olympic Village, but not yet for other neighbourhoods.

Coupland designed his “Digital Orca” with stereotypes in mind - ironically updating a city mascot with a set of flashing lights.

But it is questionable what kinds of conversations animal statues actually foster. Do they draw attention to our fraught relationship with nature, or present a clichéd image of Vancouver to outsiders?

Sudarshan Shetty's "History of Loss" before its removal from King Edward SkyTrain Station. Photo credit: Dan Fairchild Photography.

When Sudarshan Shetty created “History of Loss,” a massive art installation featuring rows of three-foot-long Volkswagen Beetles stacked in clear Plexiglass boxes, he intended to draw attention to the changing reality of transportation.

Shetty, an up-and-coming artist from India, cast 42 identical Beetle replicas out of aluminum before dropping them individually from a height of 300 feet, to create unique damage on every car.

The installation transformed an iconic 20th century vehicle into a relic of the past – an artifact entombed in a glass case reminiscent of a museum enclosure, or even a coffin.

Now, attention is focused on the decision to remove the installation due to two incidents of stolen Beetles. Police apprehended the first thief after an anonymous tip led them to the miniature car sitting in someone’s living room. The second thief is still at large.

So, “History of Loss” vanished from the landscape outside the King Edward SkyTrain Station in December 2010.

I hope the thieves at least appreciate the irony.

This is not the first incident of vandalism for the Vancouver Biennale, the privately funded organization responsible for many of the sculptures Vancouverites are accustomed to seeing around the city.

Unlike the public art installed by the City of Vancouver, the Biennale often chooses controversial and provocative pieces, intended to challenge the viewer and create discussion in the community.

"Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself at the top of Lenin's Head" has been vandalized with eggs and dirt. Photo credit: Dan Fairchild Photography.

This, of course, is what good art should do – the difference here is that there is no velvet rope.

In May 2010, vandals punched holes through a sculpture near Lansdowne SkyTrain station that featured three large, stylized human heads. The sculpture, by Mexican artist Javier Marin, was worth more than $1 million.

A notorious sculpture of Chairman Mao standing atop Joseph Stalin’s head has generated much debate in Richmond. However, the piece has survived petty acts of vandalism no greater than thrown eggs and mud-slinging.

Our city has a reputation of sophistication and artistic appreciation, but incidents like these damage our culturally-savvy image.

“History of Loss” – worth at least $250,000 – is now devalued due to the theft, and the experience has undoubtedly left a poor taste in the artist’s mouth for what was supposed to be his triumphant North American debut.

How can we expect artists to trust Vancouver with their installations in the future?