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Conservationists Say ‘Bizarre’ Dead Bear Incident Proves ‘Terrible’ Judgment of RFK Jr.

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“Dumping a bear carcass on a New York City bike path perfectly encapsulates Kennedy’s recklessness and weirdness as a presidential candidate and a phony environmentalist,” said one campaigner.

by Brett Wilkins
Common Dreams

Conservationists on Monday reacted to independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s admission of abandoning a roadkill bear carcass in New York City’s Central Park by renewing attacks on his fitness for office.

Kennedy—whose candidacy is opposed by numerous green groups due largely to his embrace of conspiracy theories and “science denialism”—solved a decade-old New York City mystery on Sunday when his campaign published a video in which he acknowledged picking up a dead bear cub he found while driving in upstate New York and later dumping it in Central Park along with a broken bicycle to make it look like an accident had occurred there.

In the video, Kennedy tells Roseanne Barr—an actress and former third-party presidential contender—that he and some friends “thought it would be amusing for whoever found” the carcass, which they left in the park because Kennedy had no time to take it home and skin it before he had to catch a flight.

“The next day it was on every television station,” Kennedy said. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, what did I do?'”

Kennedy’s publication of the video is believed to be an attempt to preempt a New Yorker article published on Monday in which the incident is featured.

“Looking forward to seeing how you spin this one, New Yorker,” Kennedy wrote in a social media caption to the video. But there was no need for any spin.

“Dumping a bear carcass on a New York City bike path perfectly encapsulates Kennedy’s recklessness and weirdness as a presidential candidate and a phony environmentalist,” Brett Hartl, national political director at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) Action Fund, said in a statement.

“Kennedy’s entire campaign platform boils down to claiming that he just knows what’s best for the environment and will solve everything because of his experience,” Hartl added. “This bizarre incident underscores how terrible Kennedy’s judgment is, how little remorse he has for his actions, and how reckless and damaging his approach to conservation would actually be as president.”

CBD Action Fund noted that not only did Kennedy “waste the animal, which is against the ethical code of hunters, but he created an enormous distraction for conservationists and officials, as bears do not live in New York City.”

While Kennedy is polling well enough that he could affect the outcome of some swing-state races between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, one critic called him an “epic fraud” after Kennedy’s former New York state campaign director admitted that her “no. 1 priority” was to siphon electoral votes from President Joe Biden, who has since dropped his reelection bid.

Kennedy—whose campaign is partly bankrolled by billionaire Trump donors—has also reportedly held talks with the GOP nominee about potentially dropping out and endorsing his campaign in exchange for a job, possibly even a Cabinet position. The New Yorker article revealed that Kennedy recently called Trump “a terrible human being,” the “worse (sic) president ever,” and “barely human” in text messages.

Also read: RFK Jr. grapples with torrent of negative headlines