FARGO - A painted bison public art statue at the corner of Main Avenue and Broadway here was damaged early Saturday morning.

The fiberglass statue was on its side, detached from its feet, which were anchored to the ground east of the Wimmer’s Diamonds store.

Owner Brad Wimmer, who lives upstairs from his store, said he was working as of midnight and the statue was still standing. His son saw it on its side at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, so Wimmer figures the damage was done between those times.

“I felt terrible,” he said upon seeing the statue, its legs ending in jagged fiberglass.

There is a police camera at the corner and he hopes to learn more about the incident Monday when police review that footage, he said.

Lt. Joel Vettel, a spokesman with the Fargo Police Department, said investigators haven’t found any witnesses yet but will check for possible video evidence.

The statue is called “Heartbeat of the Red River Valley,” and it was painted by Minnesota artist Pat Krueger as part of a 2006 project called “Herd About the Prairie.” The project included 43 full-size bison, eight calves and 24 tabletop models.

The Krueger bison features a colorful prairie landscape with American-Indian-style ornaments. Underneath the left eye is what appears to be a tear drop.