NEW York City officials have announced that they will be moving Arturo Di Modica’s “Charging Bull” statue away from its current Bowling Green location. Citing safety concerns as the motivation for this decision, the statue will be relocated to a pedestrian plaza near the Stock Exchange.

The statue has become a symbol of Wall Street over the years — as well as a target of a number of controversies. In September 2019, a man hit the 7,000-ton bronze sculpture with a metal banjo, creating a gash in its head and denting its horns. Di Modica flew in from Italy to work on repairs, which cost approximately US$15,000. While the attacker cited political motivations for the bull’s destruction, Di Modica stated that “the bull is for all the world, for everybody.” In October 2019, fake blood was poured over the bull by climate change protesters during a “die-in.”

Although the “Charging Bull” was originally located outside the Stock Exchange in 1989, it was relocated to where it currently stands today.

“The bull has been in Bowling Green Park for nearly 30 years and it’s the perfect location,” Piccolo said. “There’s no reason to move it now.”(SD-Agencies)