OPINION
Comedians have had their fun with the downright disturbing confession from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his dumping of a dead bear cub nearly a decade ago. It is impossible to grasp the rationale of his thought process, which would have difficulty attracting viewers if billed as a dark comedy on Netflix. It has grabbed people’s attention because it is outlandish to imagine someone deciding to do this or even consider doing this vile act. We have often heard that there are no bad ideas, but this was a bad idea.
Some may mock that the bear cub was already dead, and a Darwinian philosophy makes this a non-story. Still, this sociopathic act of dumping the bear cub and posing a bicycle at the scene in Central Park to cover up an inconvenience is inhumane, despicable, and reads like an amateur script that wouldn’t make it on a streaming service.
Although Mr. Kennedy’s situation is not unusual on some levels, his actions were quite unusual. We have seen bear cubs killed in New Jersey by vehicles, as development in sensitive areas has compromised natural bear habitats. As the bear populations have increased, resulting in human encounters, I have been a fierce opponent of authorizing bear hunting in our state to address this issue rather than finding more humane solutions to protect our wildlife and residents.
The issue not discussed is the dumping of a bear cub in New York City’s Central Park, as isolated as it was, led to authorities needing to investigate. As reported by The New York Times, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) conducted a necropsy to learn the cause of death. Additionally, this required the New York City Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Wildlife Health Unit to join the investigation. The waste of taxpayer resources coupled with the potential of deriving on false premises that bears are migrating throughout the streets of New York City seeking refuge in Central Park.
The entire story is reprehensible and disgusting.
As a state legislator once nicknamed “The Bear” for my local advocacy, I have embraced that name to the core. It has allowed me to learn much about the bear population in our country and find a kinship with these majestic mammals, which compelled me to share my thoughts as someone who will always fight for the humane treatment of animals. To some, this story is a tremendous comedy material and will score plenty of laughs. Still, the thought process behind this incident has a variety of consequences that are far from funny, and Mr. Kennedy should be ashamed.
Carol Murphy is the majority whip of the New Jersey State Assembly.