Severed buffalo head found in Boulder yard
Residents called police to report the bison head around 1 a.m. Sunday, Kobel said. They had gone out Saturday evening, and when they returned, they found the head propped on a landscaping boulder in the front yard. Kobel said the residents told police they had no idea why anyone would leave a bison head in their yard.
Police are talking to local ranchers to see if they are missing any buffalo and talking to processors to see if they recently sold a bison head or an entire body to a private party. Kobel said there was some blood found at the scene. The case remains under investigation.
Ralphie was last seen publicly running across Folsom Field prior to the start of the CU Buffs' game against Arizona on Saturday. There are two living Ralphie mascots -- Ralphie IV and V -- and both are taken care of on ranches, the location of which the university does not disclose, said CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard.
"It's to protect against any harm that could come to the animal, pranks that people from opposing schools might want to play, whether harmless or harmful," Hilliard said. "It's really to protect the safety of the animal."
When the athletic department learned of the severed head from Boulder police, officials immediately got in contact with the handlers for both animals, Hilliard said. University officials have spoken with the handlers and seen new photographs of both animals. "We know for an absolute fact that both animals are safe and sound."
While officials obviously were relieved, Hilliard said whoever left the head did a cruel thing, regardless of how they obtained the head. "It's not really a very funny joke, if someone thinks it's a joke. Whenever you're dealing with animals, even if they were properly killed for meat, to just throw the head out there, that's a very menacing gesture. It goes far beyond a prank."