There’s outrage over possible health code violations and contamination after two students at Cornell University hunted a bear before skinning and butchering it on a kitchen table shared by other students living at the dorm.
The controversy started after a picture surfaced on Reddit showing the skinned and butchered animal on top of a tarp-covered table. Cornell’s student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, reported that the two students legally hunted a 120-pound bear on Saturday, Sept. 7. The next day, the students brought the bear back to Ganędagǫ: Hall to process, skin and butcher it, before the meat was packed in ZipLoc bags and stored in the freezer of what appears to be a shared refrigerator.
A complaint was filed with Cornell University Police Department, which investigated the incident and reportedly found that the students possessed valid New York State hunting licenses.
No charges were filed, and as reported by The Ithaca Voice, Cornell University has no rules in its code of conduct against processing an animal on campus.
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Nevertheless, students were concerned that the processing of a wild animal could happen on campus in a communal kitchen, given that, as mentioned by one Redditor, improperly prepared bear meat can be a carrier of parasites.
“Morality and legality concerns aside, I’m a little surprised this sort of thing isn’t against the dorm contract/rules, precisely for the health reasons discussed,” one Redditor shard. “Perhaps it would interfere with religious practice, but public health has to take priority in these situations.”
Another added, “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.”
Per The Sun, some Redditors also commented on the bear’s size, noting the students likely killed a cup. The outlet reported that it’s legal to kill a cub during bear hunting season.
