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Entry 345Filed under Breeding

RFK Jr. Posed With a Bear Cub’s Carcass, Then Left It in Central Park

A bear cub was found beside a bicycle in Central Park in 2014, and RFK Jr. later said he placed it there as a prank after it was hit by a vehicle. The state’s reported necropsy finding was consistent with a car collision; authorities closed the investigation without enough evidence to determine whether a violation occurred.
3-minute read By Animalso Team

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In 2014, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. placed a dead black-bear cub in Central Park beside a bicycle. In a 2024 video, he said he had picked up the cub after it was hit by a vehicle and staged the scene as a prank; the state’s necropsy finding was consistent with a car collision, though it did not identify who struck the bear.

Authorities closed the 2014 investigation because there was not enough evidence to determine whether a violation had occurred. By August 2024, the state said the statute of limitations had expired, so Kennedy was not facing charges over the incident.

What happened to the bear?

In October 2014, two women walking their dogs found a dead bear beside a bicycle in Central Park and alerted authorities. The unusual discovery prompted an investigation.

In a social-media video published in August 2024, Kennedy said a vehicle ahead of him had hit the cub while he was driving in upstate New York. He said he put the animal in his vehicle intending to skin it and keep the meat, then later brought it into Central Park with a bicycle. According to the account reported by the Associated Press, he said the placement was a prank meant to make it look as if a cyclist had hit the bear. These details are Kennedy’s account, not independently established facts.

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What did the necropsy find?

ABC News reported that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said its 2014 determination was blunt-force trauma consistent with a car collision. The Associated Press summarized the necropsy as finding the bear was likely hit by a vehicle. This finding is consistent with Kennedy’s account that the bear was struck before he picked it up, but it does not identify who struck it.

The Washington Post reported that the bear was six months old and weighed 44 pounds. Those are reported details about this animal, not broader wildlife statistics.

What is known about the photograph?

The New Yorker reported that Kennedy was photographed with the carcass in 2014 and later published the image with its August 2024 profile. The photograph and the placement in Central Park are separate moments in the reported sequence.

When staff writer Clare Malone asked Kennedy about the incident, he said, “Maybe that’s where I got my brain worm,” according to The New Yorker.

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What happened to the investigation?

ABC News reported that authorities closed the investigation in 2014 because there was not enough evidence to decide whether a violation had occurred. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said the statute of limitations had expired by August 2024, so Kennedy was not facing charges over the incident.

The closure should not be described as proof that no violation occurred. The original necropsy report and complete agency file were not available in the reviewed reporting, so the precise forensic and legal record remains limited.

Why the distinction matters

The reported account describes a wild animal’s remains being used as a prop for a prank. At the same time, the evidence should be stated precisely: Kennedy said he transported and placed the carcass, while the state’s reported finding was consistent with a vehicle collision. The available reporting does not establish who struck the bear or independently verify every detail of Kennedy’s account.

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FAQ

What happened with RFK Jr. and the Central Park bear?

A dead bear cub was found beside a bicycle in Central Park in 2014. In 2024, Kennedy said he had picked it up after it was hit by a vehicle and placed it in the park as a prank.

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Why was there a dead bear next to a bicycle in Central Park?

Kennedy said he placed the carcass beside a bicycle to make it appear that a cyclist had hit the bear. That motive is his account, not an independently established fact.

What did the necropsy say killed the bear?

ABC News reported the state’s finding as blunt-force trauma consistent with a car collision. The finding did not identify who struck the bear.

Was Kennedy charged over the incident?

Authorities closed the 2014 investigation because there was not enough evidence to determine whether a violation occurred. The state said the statute of limitations had expired by August 2024, so Kennedy was not facing charges over the incident.

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