University of Maine police are investigating the Nov. 23, 2022 theft of a copper bear from outside the Buchanan Alumni House. The bear is valued at $8,000, according to police. Credit: Courtesy University of Maine Police Department

The University of Maine Police Department is on the hunt for a bear statue stolen from campus last fall. 

Since at least November, police have been seeking a copper bear statue, valued at $8,000, stolen from the Buchanan Alumni House on Nov. 23, 2022, according to a UMaine police Facebook post. The statue is two feet by three feet and hollow, according to Margaret Nagle, a spokesperson for the university. 

The theft of the bear came three days after four students were seen on video destroying a $4,000 sign in front of the Buchanan Alumni House. Those four students have been identified and referred to the Division of Student Life Student Conduct Office, Nagle said. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact 207-581-4040 or email the police department at um.policedepartment@maine.edu. 

Sawyer Loftus is an investigative reporter at the Bangor Daily News, a 2024-2025 fellow with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, and was Maine's 2023-2024 journalist of the year. Sawyer previously...

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