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Michigan State's Stuffed Polar Bear Is Leaving Campus For Pampering

EAST LANSING (AP) - A paw is in bad shape, and the white fur is discolored, too. After nearly 50 years in public, a stuffed polar bear at Michigan State University is ready for a makeover.

More than $8,000 has been raised to send the 9-foot bear to a taxidermist in Sandusky, Michigan. It has been standing watch, with its mouth open, since 1966 at MSU's Natural Resources Building.

The Lansing State Journal says the bear was killed by a hunter in Alaska in 1957 and donated to the MSU Museum. It was eventually moved to the lobby of the Natural Resources Building.

Spring graduates insisted that the bear's repairs be delayed until summer so they could pose for a farewell photo.

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