Cops: Dead bear not anti-Obama message

CULLOWHEE, N.C., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Authorities say a dead bear found on a North Carolina college campus covered in Obama For President signs was not a racially or politically motivated incident.

The bear's carcass was discovered Monday on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C., and was initially thought to be political threat directed toward Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama, WHNS-TV, Greenville, S.C., reported Wednesday.

But police have determined that rather than a message to the U.S. senator from Illinois, it was merely a prank gone bad. Citing unnamed police sources, the station said investigators were told seven student pranksters found the bear carcass alongside a road and used the Obama signs to stop its blood from making a mess in their vehicle, since the signs were the only materials on hand.

No charges had been filed because police were still consulting with the local district attorney, WHNS-TV reported.