2 Showalter fish damaged in theft attempts

Around 4 and 5 a.m. Sunday, two separate attempts were made to steal two fish from the IU Showalter Fountain. Alarms on the fish alerted the IU Police Department to the tampering, allowing them to make it to the fountain in time to stop the theft efforts.

“I actually don’t think they’re horribly damaged,” said Sherry Rouse, curator of campus art. “I haven’t seen them personally because the doors were all locked so I couldn’t get in, but I can tell you from the base, what’s there, that they sheared off something, so they didn’t actually break the bronze.”

If the robbery had succeeded, it would have marked the fifth time Showalter fish had been stolen or attempts were made to steal them.

A fish was stolen in 1976 following IU’s basketball win in the NCAA Championship, which the University replaced with another fish they had in storage.

Another fish was stolen in 1987, again following IU’s basketball win in the NCAA Championship. That fish wasn’t replaced until 20 years later.

After Bob Knight was fired, two fish were stolen and carried to Assembly Hall, Rouse said. The pair of 800 lb. bronze fish was found there the next morning.

The most recent theft was in the summer of 2010. That fish was recovered this year in April in less than pristine condition. It was believed to have been the replacement fish for the one that vanished in 1987.

“I really don’t think that they understand that it’s a piece of artwork,” Rouse said. “I just think they drank a lot of beer and had a lot of fun and the end cost of that was thousands of dollars.”

Arrests were made after the second theft attempt, Rouse said, and charges will be pressed.

“I think they’re fools and vandals and irresponsible children,” Rouse said. “Maybe these kids will learn a very hard lesson that’ll help some other people make better decisions.”

Rouse said the fish will be returned to the fountain by Wednesday.

— Makenzie Holland