He’s big, he’s white and he resides just inside the main doors of the Natural Resources Building.
At more than 9 feet tall and 300 pounds, he’s the Spartan polar bear, and some students are hoping to give him a makeover.
The bear found its way to campus in the 1950s after it was hunted and killed by an Oak Park, Michigan, resident near Point Barrow, Alaska.
The mounted specimen was then donated to the MSU Museum.
It was moved from the museum to the Natural Resources Building in 1966, where it has remained to this day.
The polar bear and its status as a fixture of building is an important subject for many members of the department, including fisheries and wildlife graduate student Darrin McCullough.
“Some people were thinking about just getting rid of it, like ‘Is that the image we want to put out? Having a dead bear in the building?’ And the answer for us was ‘yes,’” he said.
Scott Winterstein, current chairman of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, promised to restore the bear when he campaigned for the position and has spearheaded the fundraising movement, McCollough said.
“It was sort of an idea that got bounced around and we all came together as a family to see it through,” McCullough said.
That family includes Becca Blundell, fisheries and wildlife senior and former president of the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club.
“It’s kind of our mascot in fisheries and wildlife,” she said. “We’ve talked to alumni and faculty, and everyone knows the bear. Every single graduating senior takes a picture with it — it’s kind of like another Sparty.”
But the polar bear isn’t just a fun, quirky feature of the building. It represents a greater message about preserving our natural resources and protecting endangered populations while they continue to exist, McCullough said.
“(The bear) represents kind of the whole idea of being a natural resource professional, and that’s protecting our resources and ensuring future generations have the opportunity to see these animals live and thrive in the wild,” he said.
Although a taxidermist has been selected for the job by a team of professionals in the fisheries and wildlife department, the name of the studio will remain confidential until the fundraising goal has been met, McCullough said.
Due to the age of the specimen and the wear and tear it has sustained throughout its years at MSU, the selection of a taxidermist is an important affair to many, but McCullough assures the bear will be worked on by “the best (taxidermist) in the region.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, $4,880 has been raised for the cause, which is 81 percent of the final goal of $6,000.
“In addition to restoration costs, part of the money we raise will also be used to install an informational display next to the bear with conservation information,” Blundell said.
A website has been set up for direct donations until April 26 and T-shirts featuring the polar bear are being sold near his location in the Natural Resources Building by the Fisheries and Wildlife Club this week for $10.
