Woolly mammoth statue sparks reactions from students
A statue of a mammoth was recently installed on the south end of the Natural History Building.
March 27, 2023
Students who walked past the Natural History Building were in for a surprise this past week as the University unveiled a woolly mammoth statue.
The statue is part of an “Art and Architecture” initiative and was chosen because of its biological relevance to Champaign-Urbana. Thousands of years ago, mammoths used to be common in Illinois.
According to Eesha Barua, sophomore in LAS, the statue took her by surprise.
“My first reaction was: How have I not noticed that this entire year?” Barua said. “And then it became apparent to me.”
Ayush Basu, sophomore in Engineering, said he has heard about the statue online.
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“I haven’t seen the statue, I’ve only seen Reddit posts about it,” Basu said. “I wonder how much it costs.”
Other students had more humorous takes.
“I think the statue should be our new mascot,” said Daksh Kalley, sophomore in Engineering.
However, Barua said she is not sure if the woolly mammoth will become a symbol on campus.
“I think it’s tough to know because what the University (community) takes ownership of is pretty arbitrary sometimes,” Barua said. “But I think the statue is really cool as an homage to the Natural History Building.”
