A hooded troupe returned a stolen calf to Cornell's Dairy Bar just after midnight March 29, leaving it in exactly the same shape and size as when it was last seen in 2006.

That's because the calf, named Cal, is made of fiberglass.

Cal and its mother, Cornellia, the Dairy Bar's mascots, were stolen in August 2006; Cornellia was returned to the Hoy Field pitcher's mound in late November that year.

Anonymous witnesses reported to The Cornell Daily Sun that they saw a group of people, all wearing hoods that completely covered their heads, carry Cal across Tower Road at 12:15 a.m. March 29, depositing it at the Dairy Bar entrance.

A Dairy Bar custodian discovered the calf in the morning with a note hanging from its neck, claiming that the calf was recovered from 350 miles away. The note also said:

A team of student citizens tracked down the cow's location, and after a tense hostage negotiation, arranged for the cow's safe return to Cornell, where it belongs. Long live, Cornellia.

[Signed] Narby Krimsnatch '59.

Krimsnatch is a fictional character created in 1956 by a group of students who managed to get him elected to class office, tapped for the Quill & Dagger secret honor society and even put his picture in the yearbook, according to Corey Earle '07, associate director of student programs in Alumni Affairs and Development and a Cornell trivia buff.

The Dairy Bar will feature a special ice cream sundae to commemorate the mascot's return during the week of April 5th. The type of sundae "will be a surprise, given the calf's return was a surprise," said Jason Huck, general manager of Cornell's dairy operations.

To protect Cal and Cornellia from future theft, the mascots have been moved to a more secure location "within the confines of our dairy operation's walls," said Huck.

Before they were stolen, Cornellia and Cal were chained outside the old Dairy Store inside Stocking Hall.

Stocking Hall staffers are considering where to keep the mascots during Stocking Hall renovations later this year. One suggestion has been to "disguise Cal as a sheep," said Huck.

Cornellia and Cal became the Dairy Bar's mascots in 2005, following Cornellia's previous theft from the roof of Stocking Hall and its return two weeks later to a pen at the College of Veterinary Medicine, according to the Sun.