Bears not roving wild on UES

Bears are roving wild around populated areas, some not far from us. No roving bears have been reported on the Upper East Side.

There was that dead bear cub, dumped in Central Park by our bizarre Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.   Leaving an animal corpse in the public park is illegal and showed Bobby’s absolute contempt for the people of New York City.

Why do we bring up the obvious point of no roving bears in our zip codes?  Because it’s no longer obvious, or rather, inconceivable. (We recently spotted a raccoon living behind a wrought iron gate between two Park Avenue buildings. And birdwise, the sky’s the limit around here. 

The UES does have at least one live bear, but it’s hardly roving.  He or she was spotted at the Central Park Zoo’s Grizzly Bear & Treena’s Overlook.  “The habitat includes rocky ledges, a stream, pools, and climbing areas where you can often see them swimming, digging, or wrestling,” the zoo’s website says.  It was a hot, muggy day, and this bear was hardly moving.  Who can blame, him, her.

The bear could hardly raise it’s head: 

 

There are some lovely bronze bears in the park.  The bears below belong to the art deco-ish Group of Bears, a 1932 bronze sculpture by Paul Manship.   It is right off the E. 79th Street entrance to the park.

 

 

And there’s Honey Bear sticking his tongue out.  He is a bronze sculpture installed in 1937 at the northern entrance of the zoo.  The sculptor, Frederick Roth, was head sculptor for New York’s Park’s Department from 1934 to 1936.

 

Finally, there’s the dancing bear on the Delacorte Clock.  He and the other circling animals were made by Italian sculptor Andrea Spadini. 

Here’s a video to play on a snowed-in day:

Wait for the bear.