10/22/2008
Dead Bear Cub Incident 'Just a Prank'
A dead bear cub which was found at Western Carolina University Monday morning shot in the head and draped in Obama campaign signs was a prank, authorities say:
"Seven Western Carolina University students were involved, and possible charges were being discussed with the local prosecutor, said Campus Police Chief Tom Johnson. Police did not release the students' names. The students told authorities they took political signs at random to cover the bear's wound and prevent blood from spilling into the bed of the truck they were driving. They discovered a carcass of the cub, which had been shot in the head, while camping over the weekend and brought it back to a gathering at an apartment near campus Sunday night, according to a statement from the school."
Said Western Carolina chancellor John W. Bardo: "I am pleased to hear that this situation appears to be a stupid prank."
Pleased? That's an odd word to describe an idiotic act of cruelty.
Posted 12:03 PM EST by Andy Towle in Barack Obama, News, North Carolina | Permalink
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Thanks for the update, no charges will be filed after all, its just a bear who did nothing wrong and its just country boys having fun and being convincing liars to the dimwitted authorites.
Disgusting at the lack of common decency from the killers to the Chancellor.
Posted by: Sebastian | Oct 22, 2008 12:19:11 PM
Stupid, eh? And the chancellor slaps their bottoms and say, "Oh, you crazy kids...."
Try vile and racist, not to mention totally dangerous. Why doesn't the FBI investigate garbage like this? This so-called "prank" is a direct threat to the man who just might become our next President, like it or not.
I truly do fear the types of freaks that would crawl out of the woodwork should Obama win.
Posted by: banjiboi | Oct 22, 2008 12:24:22 PM
I invite everyone to send an email to:
Chancellor John W. Bardo jbardo@email.wcu.edu
Thanks Andy...YOU ROCK!
Russell
Posted by: Russell | Oct 22, 2008 12:36:57 PM
Ya know what I am relieved by? Police actually showing restraint. We have a huge issue with police brutality and lack of accountability in this country. But Banjiboi and Sebastian appears happy to have the FBI breaking down every door dragging people away to the stockade for every little idiotic thing.
The police investigated, found out it was a stupid prank and closed the issue. Next.
Posted by: yoshi | Oct 22, 2008 12:39:54 PM
Yes Yoshi, they showed restraint. And WHY do you think that is? If these were Black students, a polar bear and McCain banners wrapped around it's bloody head, the FBI would be investigating their asses for everything from hate crimes to bad grades! So spare me that bull!
PRANK MY ASS!!!
Posted by: soulbrotha | Oct 22, 2008 1:09:47 PM
"But Banjiboi and Sebastian appears happy to have the FBI breaking down every door dragging people away to the stockade for every little idiotic thing."
What about murdering elderly gay people in Indiana? The message of the killers is the same, YOSHI: hate.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Oct 22, 2008 1:19:14 PM
Just sent my email.
Posted by: David T | Oct 22, 2008 1:30:12 PM
Yoshi,
Perhaps you don't see the importance of potential threats being made against a PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
That does and should require a more official investigation by an office above the local yokels and the college chancellor, no?
Clueless.
Posted by: banjiboi | Oct 22, 2008 1:35:09 PM
The taking of political signs is an act of theft. The signs belong to the people who either purchase them or to the politician whos name appears on the sign. The removal or destruction of political signs is a criminal act and can be prosecuted.
I have yet to see political signs posted in camping areas. I find it highly unlikely they stumbled upon a freshly killed bear carcass with political signs nearby out in a forest while camping. What a coincidence.
Posted by: Digimato | Oct 22, 2008 1:51:49 PM
I think all of you are overreacting.
It is not racist because it is a dead black bear. they're the only type of bears native to the western carolina mountains.
it's idiotic for you to play judge on if the boys killed the bear or found it dead because you weren't there and weren't part of the investigation.
Jesus, north korea has nukes. focus on something a little more relevant.
Posted by: Dan B | Oct 22, 2008 1:53:16 PM
Durn Right, DAN B! A good ol' North Carolina lynchin' never hurt nobody--not Nigras' nor Queers!
Assasinatin' a president? Aw, hell, gettin' rid of Kennedy didn't bring ruination down the country, now did it?
Git over it, y'all.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Oct 22, 2008 2:05:25 PM
The tone of your post is completely offensive, DERRICK. You know nothing about any of the players involved and to paint them as ignorant redneck hicks because they are from North Carolina is over the line.
Drawing a parallel between this and an assassination threat against Obama is a stretch at best.
You should be careful the tone you take to paint people from the southeast. There are plenty of us who regularly read this blog, speak in complete grammatically correct sentences, and hold higher degrees.
Posted by: Dan B | Oct 22, 2008 3:59:22 PM
@ Dan (Troll?) B
I'm willing to excuse what I assume to be an extreme case of ignorance due to the fact that you're probably "on the pipe". Your line about the relevance North Korea and nukes compared to the issue and hand was very Gracie Burns-ish, at best - no offense to the brilliant commedienne.
So let's get this straight - I'm so totally reading between the lines about the fact that a group of otherwise clean cut, All-American southern college boys were driving down a winding, tree-lined country road, minding their own business. Perhaps they were on their way to pick up the girls from cheerleading practice, then maybe head on over to Bud's place for a few slices of pizza and some brews.
By some freak co-ink-i-dink, they passed a dead black bear cub, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head lying in the road. So, naturally, being the young, promising and well-adjusted future leaders that they were, they backed up the car and in unison, all came to the rather rational that it would be "so kewl", to put the dead, bloodied carcass in the car and proceed to traispe around town gathering Obama campaign posters to drape on it. "Wow, won't Obama supporters think what we're planning be such a hoot!", they must have been thinking.
And who could blame them! It was a simply delish idea! And the town blacks would be the first to admit that it was damn clever -hell, they'd themselves watched a few episodes of HBO's Def Comedy Jam so they knew what blacks found funny.
"What will the girls say about the awful smell and blood stains?", one thought. But never mind that - this "prank" was far too clever, and harmless to consider such inconsequential inconveniences.
Anyhoo, they proceeded with their innocent prank, not bearing (ooo, bad pun!) in mind that a bloodied dead black bear cub with a bullet hole in its head bearing the campaign posters of an African America senator running for president facing his opponent's increasingly volitile attacks couldn't possibly have any consequences as far iciting violence towards or have any negative connotations towards said candidate.
Nope. Nothing to see here. Better work on disarming the North Koreans of those deadly-ass nukes.
Posted by: banjiboi | Oct 22, 2008 4:01:59 PM
Oh, and Dan, since I so lack the far more superior education that you no doubt have been so lucky to obtain, you know, with the NYC public school system being what it is and all, I only went as far as the ninth grdae. But, I'm sure you'd be kind, gentlemanly and scholarly enough to excuse my typos.
Surely, you're intelligent enough to see past any grammtical errors and grasp the gist of it.
Best.
Posted by: banjiboi | Oct 22, 2008 4:08:55 PM
DAN B,
You ever heard of Valdosta Georgia? That is where my family is from. You can't get anymore Southeastern USA than that.
From William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, Robert Penn Warren, Katherine Ann Porter, Erskine Cauldwell, Maya Angelou, James Dickey, Tennessee Williams, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers & Lillian Hellman--I know that the deep South has produced great minds and America's most articulate voices. Unfortunately, it can also produce red-neck, racist assassins. I will imitate southern accents/dialects whenever I see fit.
Killing a bear (black or otherwise) and hanging Obama posters on him...well, aint no harmless prank, suh.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Oct 22, 2008 4:12:09 PM
Derrick,
You never cease to amaze me!
Posted by: banjiboi | Oct 22, 2008 4:19:05 PM
@ Derrick
An' you ain't gots nunna dose tipe o's eidder.
Dose are sum preddy guud sintenes iffin' I do says so mysself!
Posted by: banjiboi | Oct 22, 2008 4:26:29 PM
It's funny, DERRICK that while complaining about the offensiveness of this act, you are willing to excuse your own offensiveness and then claim to be offensive whenever you "see fit."
A level of hypocrisy sounding like the McCain/Palin campaign.
But alas, your family is from Valdosta! So there should be no offense taken. Just like I should be ok with what Palin has to say about gay rights because she has a lesbian friend.
Posted by: Dan B | Oct 22, 2008 4:26:37 PM
Valdosta,Georgia. Didn't Susan Sugarbaker have a nemesis from Valdosta, Georgia?
Btw, the FBI would never have to investigate black folk doing something like this. Playing with dead animal carcasses is just not a black thing. If we don't kill it, we don't play with it.
Posted by: Derek Washington | Oct 22, 2008 5:59:24 PM
They came across a carcass of the bear over the weekend while camping, then decided to take it home with them. Well, a carcass still wouldn't be bleeding after the several hours (at least) it would have taken since it was shot to get it back to the school. Rigor mortis sets in 3 hours after death in a large mammal. Blood congeals quickly after death. Being the suspects say they found the carcass while camping over the weekend and brought it back sunday night sounds like the animal had been dead for some time. They didn't mention hearing any shots while camping, so they are suggesting the animal was dead for some time before they discovered it. Being the bear is actually a cub and not a full grown bear, there was no way it would still be bleeding by the time they brought it back to where they set it up. Photograph clearly shows wet blood on the ground where it was placed.
Posted by: Patrick | Oct 22, 2008 6:14:21 PM