Something to howl about: Capitoline Wolf statue returns to Eden Park

The mythological Roman twins Romulus and Remus are back in their place in Eden Park, complete with a new statue of the Capitoline Wolf. The replacement statue will be dedicated Friday, Nov. 3 at 10 a.m.

The original depicting the she-wolf nursing the twins — a representation of the founding of Ancient Rome — was stolen in June 2022. The wolf portion of the bronze statue was discovered missing on the morning of June 17, 2022, severed at the paws.

The new statue was carefully lowered into place Thursday morning by a Cincinnati Parks crew as Joe Geraci, historian for the local chapter of the Sons and Daughters of Italy, looked on. He says one of the four paws was sent to Italy to ensure the new statue was the correct size.

"Then the park board sent the base over with the twins and the remaining three paws," he tells WVXU. "They took all four paws and then melted that down with new bronze to make the new statue."

The thieves haven't been caught, nor the missing statue found. New signage has been installed near the statue explaining its provenance. The landscaping around the statue was cut back to make the location more visible, hopefully deterring any would-be future thieves.