SAN DIEGO -- San Diego County authorities are looking for art thieves who have made off with at least 18 metal, wood and concrete statues -- including a 600-pound bronze moose.

The North County Times reports the thieves have stolen nearly $44,000 worth of lawn art since October. The artworks included Buddha yard statutes, a life-size aluminum colt, a 3-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary and a copper statue of three children valued at $15,000.

Detectives suspect that the metal works may have been broken up and sold to recyclers, while the other pieces might have been resold.