A black bear cub was mysteriously found dead in Central Park Monday, police said.
A dog walker found the dead bruin in the brush near West 69th Street and West Drive shortly before 10 a.m. and notified a Central Park Conservancy worker, who called police.
It had suffered some type of trauma and had lacerations on its side, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the discovery.
Police said no bears were reported missing from the Central Park Zoo, and there are no black bears in the habitat. A necropsy will be conducted to determine how the cub died and where it came from.
No people in the park were injured.
Police say the department's animal cruelty squad is investigating.
"Whenever any wildlife is hurt or harmed we are upset about it," said Elizabeth Kaledin, a spokeswoman for Central Park Conservancy.
Local parks and state wildlife officials, as well as the NYPD, are investigating. The carcass will be sent to the state's Department of Environmental Conservation labs in Albany for examination.
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#centralpark conservancy worker finds dead baby bear near CPW details at 5 #NBC4NY pic.twitter.com/GVx5KjOi5s — Andrew Siff (@andrewsiff4NY) October 6, 2014
