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UCLA's Bruin Bear statue vandalized in USC colors ahead of rivalry game

Ahead of this week's rivalry game against USC, a well-known UCLA statue was vandalized with red and yellow paint, according to UCLA police.

Sometime this week, vandals broke into a wooden box intended to protect the Bruin Bear, a focal point on campus, and spray-painted USC colors on the body and foundation of the statue, UCLA police lieutenant Kevin Kilgore said.

"The only thing we have determined is that someone pried the wooden box open that the bear hibernates in this time of year," Kilgore said, referring to the standard rivalry-week security.

The Bruin Bear is one of a few landmarks on campus that gets extra protection in the days leading up to the USC game.