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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. admitted to dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

A black bear killed nearly 10 years ago has been making political headlines.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted to dumping the dead bear cub in New York City's Central Park and making it look like a bicyclist had hit the animal.

KELLY: Yes. In a video posted to social media, the independent politician recounted to actor Roseanne Barr that he had come across the carcass while falconing, put it in his van to skin and eat later and then ran out of time to stash the bear before catching a flight.

CHANG: Inspired by a spike of bike accidents in New York City, he took an old bike, the bear and some friends to Central Park, where he dumped the cub. After the bear was discovered the next day, police opened an investigation that went unsolved for a decade.

KELLY: Among the many questions this raises, Ailsa, why'd he fess up now?

CHANG: Well, Kennedy appeared to be getting ahead of a New Yorker article, tagging the publication in his post and saying, quote, "looking forward to seeing how you spin this one."

KELLY: Kennedy did not disclose what he had for dinner that night. Instead, we will, of course, update if we find out. Bear with us.

CHANG: Oh, God. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Elena Burnett
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
Justine Kenin
Justine Kenin is an editor on All Things Considered. She joined NPR in 1999 as an intern. Nothing makes her happier than getting a book in the right reader's hands – most especially her own.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.