Media features UMaine’s live black bear mascot
WHOM-FM (Portland), WJBQ-FM (Portland), WCYY-FM (Portland), WSHK-FM (Dover, New Hampshire), WBLM-FM (Portland) and WQCB-FM (Brewer) highlighted UMaine’s historical use of a live black bear mascot, which started when a small black bear named “Jeff” was loaned to the school by a local animal collector in 1914. Many live bear mascots would call Orono their home over the next five decades, but the state of Maine would ban the use of live mascots in 1969, prompting UMaine to switch to a human mascot in a black bear suit.