Beloved Bison accused of fighting hawks
Thundar has been accused of beating up a number of birds.
In a shocking turn of events, Thundar the Bison has been dismissed from North Dakota State athletics after allegations of unethical treatment of birds.
Thundar, who has been with NDSU since 1991, has been the central figure in the disappearance of a flock of hawks from the Missouri Valley region.
The hawks in question have quietly increased in relevance in the area, with a first sighting in 2015. Since, the flock has been trying to climb up toward the summit of the hills in the area, but have not quite reached the top under the big sky.
According to the People Eating Tasty Animals (PETA), the hawk population is growing in the surrounding region, but it is experiencing an abrupt stop in growth in the Fargo area. On a number of occasions in the last couple months, members of the organization have found beaten up hawks on the outskirts of Fargo.
“What is interesting about these birds is that, while we like nice and tender meat, this meat is already well tenderized. It is quite good right off the bird; normally we will have to tenderize it some more,” PETA member Tanner Bacon said.
While none of those birds’ deaths have been connected to the beloved mascot, TMZ leaked video from the Fargo Zoo that may prove otherwise. The video, which was recorded on an early 2000s cellphone judging by the quality, shows a big, fluffy figure punching a bird in the parking lot until it looked green and sick.
Authorities have not been able to determine the authenticity of the video or if it even is Thundar that is hitting the bird.
“Due to the poor technology used to record the incident, we cannot open an investigation at this time,” said Sam Samuelson, a private investigator on the Fargo Police Department.
The decision to not open a criminal investigation was not enough for the university to keep Thundar around.
“If this was the first time that Thundar was involved in an incident like this, it would be OK, but it is not,” NDSU assistant athletic director in charge of mascots Jack Anderson said. “It will be a shame because we won’t get to see them again, either Thundar or the hawks.”
In 2015, more allegations of Thundar beating up on hawks surfaced. In September of that year, the Missouri Valley Flying Conservatory (MVFC) reported that the Bison mercilessly beat up on the hawks.
“We had many hawks hobbling out of the Fargo area that weekend,” director of the MVFC R.J. Wentz said. “However, upon further review, we found that the hawks never showed up anywhere near the Bison.”
Thundar was cleared of any wrongdoing that year.
It seems that following his dismissal, Thundar is moving on quickly. He said that his intention is to stay in the area, and a possible move to Moorhead full-time is likely. Minnesota State University Moorhead is the preferred destination for the former NDSU mascot.
Thankfully, that school has not seen a large number of hawks in the area. However, the Dragon’s Den has seen intermittent rises in the Golden Eagle population on campus.