Two Cornell students legally hunted a bear and processed the animal in a Ganędagǫ: Hall kitchen on Saturday, according to a University spokesperson.
The University spokesperson wrote in an email to The Sun that the students had valid New York State hunting licenses used to hunt and bring a bear into Ganędagǫ: Hall over the weekend.
“A police report was made when a complaint was filed late Sunday night, but no charges have been filed,” the spokesperson wrote.
A report of Cornell students skinning a bear in a Ganędagǫ: Hall kitchen area prompted a response from the Cornell University Police Department on Sunday evening, according to a post on the Tompkins County Scanner Beat Facebook group.
A post from Sidechat about the skinned bear at Ganędagǫ: Hall featured a picture of the animal. (Sidechat Screenshot)
Comments within the thread varied between degrees of backlash and humor in response to the report. Some expressed discomfort with the situation, others applauded the students for their “skill” and one user questioned the legality of their actions.
Black bear hunting season begins as early as Sept. 6 in the southern zone of the state for early firearms, according to the N.Y. State Department of Environmental Conservation. For Ithaca and Tompkins County, early bowhunting of black bears does not begin until Oct. 1. The Sun could not confirm where the bear was hunted.
The first-floor kitchen is currently closed until further notice, according to a sign in the area.
Since Sunday evening, images of the bear carcass on top of a kitchen counter began circulating on Reddit and Sidechat as students expressed concerns. One Reddit user stated, “I am a fan of hunting. But this kid needs to see someone and if protesting is a suspendable offense, this should be also……. This is not okay.”
Several Reddit users commented on the size of the bear in the image, speculating that the bear was a cub. It is illegal to shoot a bear cub while hunting in the southern zone.
Others commented on the potential health hazard of skinning the bear in a communal space.
“Really shouldn’t butcher bear meat in a shared space. They’re one of the few remaining trichinosis vectors - and that concrete floor doesn’t look sealed…,” one Redditor wrote.
Anjelina Gonzalez is a member of the Class of 2026 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is a senior writer for the News department and can be reached at agonzalez@cornellsun.com.
