A dead bear cub was found Monday morning by two women walking their dogs in New York City's Central Park, according to Reuters.
The dead cub was found "with signs of trauma" underneath a bush after probably being dumped there, according to local police, who expect foul play, Reuters reported.
According to one of the women walking her dog, the dead cub's body was spotted near a bicycle lying on the ground as they were leaving the park, The Associated Press reported.
"At first, we thought it was a bag of clothes or maybe a dead dog," said Florence Slatkin, who is a retired transit administrator and lives near the park, according to the AP.
The women said it was lying "with its mouth wide open and scratches on the side," the AP reported. The cub's head was on top of the back bicycle wheel, Slatkin added.
Though black bears are not native to New York City or seen in the area, they are common in some wooded areas of New Jersey and have been spotted in all of the state's 21 counties, according to Reuters.
Park officials said bears are not common in the park's known wildlife population, and there currently no bears at the Central Park Zoo, Reuters reported.
There was no more information on how the bear died or, but its 3-foot-tall corpse has been sent to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, who were taking over the investigation, according to Reuters.
"We are distraught and alarmed any time wildlife is injured," said Elizabeth Kaledin, Central Park Conservancy worker and spokesperson, who was called over by the two women who first spotted the cub, Reuters reported.
It's not clear how the animal ended up in the park, which does not keep black bears at its zoo, or how it died, Kaledin said, according to Reuters.
