Cornell students kill bear, bring it into residence hall to skin and butcher

ITHACA, N.Y. (WSYR) – Students at Cornell University in upstate New York are concerned after two undergraduates killed a bear and brought it back to their dorm hall, a spokesperson for the school said.

Over the weekend, the students, who are confirmed to have valid New York State hunting licenses, killed the animal and brought it back to a dorm building "for processing," the spokesperson wrote in a statement shared with Nexstar's WSYR.

"A police report was made when a complaint was filed late Sunday night," the spokesperson said.

Pictures circulating in the Cornell University subreddit allege to show the skinned animal laying on a tarp-covered table in what looks to be a shared kitchen area. Cornell's spokesperson was not immediately available to confirm the veracity of those photos.

Some students expressed concern over the legality of the students' actions, but a university spokesperson said no charges have been filed.

Others were more worried about possible health violations and the contamination of a shared kitchen, The Cornell Daily Sun reported, quoting one Reddit user who noted that improperly prepared bear meat can be a carrier of parasites that cause trichinosis infection.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), its Division of Law Enforcement responded to reports of an incident involving a dead bear on Sunday, Sept. 7.

From their investigation, they found that an approximately 120-pound bear was legally hunted in the DEC's Region 4. Cornell, however, is in Region 7, located in Tompkins County. The DEC said the incident does not violate the Environmental Conservation Law nor DEC regulations. 

A representative did not immediately respond to questions concerning any possible conduct violations. The Ithaca Voice, however, reported there were no rules in the school's code of conduct against processing an animal.