The Nittany Lion's roar will be a mere whimper this week as he nurses a bludgeoning injury to the head.
About 75 percent of the Nittany Lion's right ear at the Lion Shrine is missing. The glue and some stone from the last time the ear was repaired is visible at the open wound.
The ear was broken off the first time at least a decade ago, and police do not know by whom.
Around 6:30 p.m. Friday, someone reported the top half of the right ear could be easily lifted, said Penn State Police Services Supervisor Tyrone Parham. Police retrieved the ear and handed it over to the Office of the Physical Plant for repairs.
Though police removed the fractured piece from the Shrine, the cause of the break is unknown. Penn State Police Services is not convinced the sever was malicious.
"We think it broke off," Parham said about the recent discovery. "It was the same break from before. It wasn't intentionally done."
The date of the ear's return is unknown, Parham added.
The police are not the only ones wondering about the details of the lion's attack.
"It's kind of sad," said Jose Olivera of Puerto Rico, who is at Penn State for summer session. "In a college like this, I wouldn't expect something like this to happen because usually it's calm. The whole town is proud of the college here."
Though the lion is a steadfast tradition at the university, not everyone is concerned.
"He can't hear, he's a statue," Alex Gedon, 8, of Williamstown, W.Va. said.
Steve Gedon, Alex's father and Penn State alumnus, said the incident was sad but unlikely to impact the university despite the lion's symbolic significance.
"I don't think the ear's going to make or break the football season," Steve Gedon. "If they need the ear, they have bigger problems."
Many students will be disappointed with the news of their mascot's deficiency.
"The ear definitely was probably kinda upsetting especially if it was a student," said Shad Heim (senior-rehabilitation services). "It's a mascot of our school. It's destroying our own property."
Though this is not the first blemish the Nittany Lion has suffered, in the 10 years Parham has been in the area, he said vandalizing the lion has not been a frequent occurrence.
