Officials Discover Dead Black Bear Cub in Central Park

A disturbing discovery.

According to officials in New York City, a dead black bear cub was discovered in Central Park today. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that an employee with the Central Park Conservancy discovered the animal's body this morning: 

The bear cub was about 3 feet long and apparently not from the zoo, since no bears are missing, a law-enforcement official said. The creature suffered some trauma and has lacerations on its side. While authorities initially said the Bronx Zoo would conduct a necropsy, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is taking possession of the animal, officials said. The creature will be taken to Albany to a wildlife pathology unit for the necropsy.

The Daily Intellingencer pointed to the bizarre nature of the discovery, considering that the animal was not from the Central Park Zoo. NYPD spokesperson Elizabeth Kaledin said that the department's Animal Cruelty Squad is looking into the incident. 

[via Daily Intelligencer and Wall Street Journal]

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