Theodore Roosevelt statue was hauled away from American Museum of Natural History

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The statue of Teddy Roosevelt is yanked away by a crane. REUTERS

Still, some critics called the relocation a victory for cancel culture — and a blow to history.

According to NYPOST, a statue of Theodore Roosevelt that has stood in front of the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan for more than 80 years was hauled away Wednesday, photos show.

The statue came under fire amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020.

The bronze monument depicting the nation’s 26th president on a horse flanked by an African man and a Native American man — which has sparked protests for glorifying colonialism and racism — was yanked out with a crane just after midnight, leaving behind only its concrete pedestal.

A crane removing the statue of President Theodore Roosevelt from  the American Museum of Natural History on January 19, 2022.
A crane removed the statue of President Theodore Roosevelt from the American Museum of Natural History on Jan. 19, 2022.
The statue had been at the museum for over 80 years.
The statue had been in front of the museum for over 80 years.
The crane lowering the statue down after it was removed.
The statue had been embroiled in controversy and recent protests.

The controversial effigy will be sent to a library in North Dakota on a long-term loan, officials have said.

The $2 million removal, carried out by the museum and the city, comes after the New York City Public Design Commission voted in June to relocate the monument.

Last month, the museum covered the 10-foot-tall statue with an orange tarp ahead of its shipment to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota.

One of the ex-president’s descendants, Theodore Roosevelt V, cheered the removal plan last year, saying it’s “fitting that the statue is being relocated to a place where its composition can be re-contextualized to facilitate difficult, complex and inclusive discussions.”

The Teddy Roosevelt statue is secured before it's lifted.
The Teddy Roosevelt statue is secured before it’s lifted.
Workers putting up a scaffolding around the Roosevelt statue before it was removed.
Workers put up scaffolding around the Roosevelt statue before it was removed.
The statue is being loaned to a library in North Dakota.
The statue is being sent on a long-term loan to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota.
A wall and tarp surround where that statue used to be located outside of the museum.
A wall and tarp surround where the statue was located outside the museum.

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