Cornell Implements Kitchen Policy Banning Wild Game Processing Following Bear Butchering Incident

Cornell University has enacted a new institutional policy prohibiting the processing of wild game in campus kitchens, a direct response to a 2025 incident in which two students butchered a black bear inside a dormitory kitchen. The university’s updated guidelines explicitly state that “processing wild/game animals in community kitchens is strictly prohibited,” according to the school’s policy announcement.

The incident involved two Cornell students who transported a black bear carcass they had killed to Ganędagǫ Hall on campus for butchering. Student Aaron Chin later identified himself as one of the individuals involved and discussed the episode on a podcast several months after the event occurred.

Chin stated that he and his hunting partner had originally intended to process the animal at a friend’s residence located approximately two hours from campus. He said the friend experienced an unexpected emergency that made the residence unavailable, forcing them to reconsider their preparation plans.

Chin claimed that before bringing the bear onto campus, he and his partner thoroughly reviewed institutional regulations to ensure compliance. During a September appearance on the MeatEater podcast, Chin said they “made sure we did everything by the book because we knew we were going to be under scrutiny.”

The incident triggered significant backlash on social media and within the campus community, leading New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct an investigation. An agency inspector who visited the kitchen found no code violations, according to reporting by NBC News.