Masks Stolen From Midtown Library Lions: Report

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — No good deed, or symbolic gesture, goes unpunished, according to the New York Public Library, who said that vandals have repeatedly stolen a pair of giant masks from the faces of the two iconic lions outside the NYPL's Midtown branch.

The two lions, Patience and Fortitude, were each given the masks in late June, intended to show solidarity with New Yorkers and remind them to keep up their mask-wearing during the pandemic.

But those masks have been damaged or removed completely five times since then, including on Monday, library officials told the New York Post. It's forced the NYPL to start removing the masks at 5 p.m. each day, to avoid any overnight snatches.

The library has also been in touch with neighboring Bryant Park about stepping up security and contacted the NYPD's Midtown South Precinct about the trend, the Post reported.

"It’s a shame that some people feel the need to do this when all we’re trying to do is give out a positive message," Iris Weinshall, the NYPL's Chief Operating Officer, told the Post. "We just wish people would leave Patience and Fortitude alone."

Read more at the New York Post.