Katie Lane, SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)- SUNY ESF police are still looking for suspects in a case of vandalism that occurred at the school on October 12.
The stuffed musk ox displayed in the school’s Gateway Center was found damaged and surrounded by broken glass.
A coat rack now stands where their beloved ox was once displayed. The ox has since been hidden in the Roosevelt Wild Life Collection in the basement of the center.
Officials fixing the exhibit were unable to comment; however, they did allow an NCC reporter to see the ox. The base of the ox and its horns were damaged, but most of the vandalism was done to its glass display case.
The ox exhibit was not the only exhibit damaged. There were other display cases with shattered glass that are now boarded up.
ESF students are saddened by the actions that took place. The nearly extinct ox was gifted to the school from local man Bill Hutchins who went into the Canadian Arctic and harvested the ox.
Shianne Lindsay, a junior at ESF, said the ox was a part of day-to-day life at the school.
“It meant alot to alot of people for different reasons- whether it be for conservation aspects, cool taxidermy in general, and just a staple that we see here,” Lindsay said.
Robert Opalecky, an ESF sophomore, said the ox had an impact on his decision to attend the school and believes prospective students would have liked the ox as well.
“Gateway Center is where the admissions offices are, so when students come for their tours and information sessions, they walk in and it’s there. I know when I came here for my tour I fell in love with the campus because of that. Now with the musk ox gone, that’s, in my opinion, ruined for those students,” Opalecky said.
Thomas LeRoy, the ESF Chief of Police, said there were over $10,000 worth of damages to the ox exhibit.
