The bunnies have left the pond at Auburn University.

“Self-Portrait as Bunnies (The Bathers),” a quirky and beloved art installation at Auburn’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, has ended its run after a decade.

The bunnies are actually images of two bearded men in bunny costumes facing each other and submerged in the waters of a retention pond in front of the museum. They are twin self-portraits of artist Alex Podesta.

But time has taken its toll on the art, and after years of decay, museum officials have removed the bunnies.

“Over the years of its display, the sculpture naturally devolved, since its materials, while robust, were not designed for permanent aquatic outdoor conditions,” officials wrote in a social media statement on Friday afternoon. “Also, despite our dedicated efforts in regular care, environmental factors such as natural algal bloom and wildlife ‘contributions’ further contributed to its decline, and thus our professional decision to remove the sculpture permanently.”

Podesta responded to the news with surprise.

“Whoa! This is an odd way for the artist to learn of the deaccessioning of a piece,” he wrote back on the museum’s Facebook page. “Thanks very much to the Auburn community for your outpouring of kindness and support for this work over the past decade or so.”

The museum worked quickly to quell any burgeoning controversy and reiterated their intentions to the artist.

“The artwork has not been deaccessioned. The decision was made with care and concern of the work.”

Museum leaders said the sculpture will remain part of the university’s art collection, but would not be returned to the pond.

“We apologize if the statement was interpreted in that way, and we will ensure clarity when we speak with inquiring visitors.”

The installation was initially designed to be a temporary installation until it developed a fan base that birthed a fundraising effort to keep the bunnies in Auburn, according to Garden and Gun Magazine.

Fans of the bunnies in 2016 joined to raise money to buy the artwork and make it a permanent part of Auburn’s collection. A 24-hour crowdsourcing event raised more than $8,000.

The museum in its announcement Friday noted the “wide range of emotions and discussions” that the sculpture has generated over the years.

“This vibrant dialogue is precisely what art is meant to inspire!”