The New Yorker recently revealed an unusual incident involving presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who placed his hand in a deceased bear cub’s mouth, leading to widespread media scrutiny.
The New Yorker profile disclosed the incident, detailing how Kennedy left a dead bear cub in Central Park, accompanied by his odd candid confession, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The public learned about Kennedy’s connection to the bear incident when a photo surfaced showing him in a peculiar pose with the animal. Kennedy’s cousin, Tatiana Schlossberg, first brought the story to public attention in a piece for The New York Times. The story initially baffled law enforcement and sparked a flurry of speculation.
While Kennedy was on a falconing expedition in the Hudson Valley, he saw a woman in front of him strike a bear by the roadside, which was dead. He intended to use the meat, permissible in New York with the appropriate tags for roadkill.
Kennedy explained that unforeseen delays disrupted his initial plans. "You can get a bear tag for roadkill bear," he noted, clarifying the regulations that allowed him to collect the bear.
After Kennedy acquired the bear, late engagements, including a dinner and a flight, unexpectedly changed his day. He then made the erratic decision to leave the bear in Central Park.
Kennedy humorously remarked that he made it look like the bear had succumbed to a bicycle accident, aware of the situation's absurdity. His whimsical handling sparked media discussions about the consequences of impromptu wildlife handling.
The bear's appearance sparked an immediate and intense response. Kennedy recalled, "I turned on the TV and saw a mile of yellow tape, and 20 cop cars. Helicopters flew over it," depicting the scene as if it were pulled straight from a crime thriller. The bizarre nature of the discovery prompted an overwhelming response from law enforcement and the media.
His preemptive discussion of the incident with comedian Roseanne Barr did little to quell the intrigue. In a video released before The New Yorker’s profile, Kennedy humorously detailed the events leading to the bear's abandonment and commented on the expected negative coverage.
Despite the initial uproar, the furor over Kennedy’s actions eventually subsided. The statute of limitations expired after one year, so Kennedy faced no charges. This added complexity to the eccentric episode, balancing legal oversight against moral and ethical scrutiny.
In retrospect, Kennedy’s handling of the situation, from his decision-making to his humorous recollection of the events, paints a picture of an unusual situation handled with a mix of recklessness and remorse. “Maybe that’s where I got my brain worm,” he joked during his discourse with The New Yorker, infusing a notion of self-aware contempt for the absurdity of it all.
Final remarks by Schlossberg underscored the initial mystery around the event: "Like law enforcement, I had no idea who was responsible for this when I wrote the story," her statement read, pointing to the veil of confusion that initially surrounded the incident.
The New Yorker's profile on Kennedy unearthed his peculiar interaction with the deceased bear and highlighted his capacity for candid, unconventional decision-making. With no legal obligations and the media storm settled, this episode stands as a peculiar footnote in Kennedy's public life, blending humor, wildlife regulation, and the unpredictability of public figures' private endeavors.
