Cunning Coyotes thriving in Central Park as animals adapt to American city life | New York

InThis spring New YorkChris St Lawrence will work as a naturalist on a whale-watching boat and then quickly trek to Central Park to reach sunset in time, when a pair of coyotes often start crawling out.

St Lawrence, who is also a photographer, said standing on the boat for four hours, looking at marine mammals, and then staying alert in a park in central Manhattan, looking for Romeo and Juliet, which is taxed.

“You have to keep your eyes open when it comes to safety, but you don’t want to miss the shooting either,” said St. Lawrence, a master’s student in conservation education at NYU.

Despite the challenges, he and other local photographers spent the night in the concrete jungle because they wanted the public to understand the fact that coyotes, including the fact that they didn’t need to be afraid of them.

This then helps protect the entire species, with more numbers appearing across urban areas across the United States in recent decades.

“We think people have to be aware of the coyotes in Central Park and know how sensitive they are and know there is no reason to be afraid of them,” said David Lei, a Manhattan resident.

A century ago, the only coyote in North America was located in the western half of the continent. Expand eastward.

Wildlife biologist Chris Nagy said they were able to do so because of the decline of their predators and the transformation of farmland into suburban areas. Gotham Coyotedesigned to learn more about expanding animals to New York City.

“The coyotes are pulling out babies every year, and those young people are starting to drip in every direction, and the blank space is the city, and for many reasons, the coyotes are adaptable enough to find out the city’s habitat and what they need to do.”

According to a study published in the Journal, in the Chicago area alone, at least 4,000 coyotes were found. Urban ecosystem.

In New York City, researchers believe there are about 20.

Romeo and Juliet might have emigrated from Westchester to the Bronx and then followed the railroad tracks to Manhattan. Juliet arrived in Romeo in 2019 and in 2023.

Lei and Emery found them Follow Flacoan owl escaped from the Central Park Zoo.

They gave the coyotes a name because they often hang out at the Dracott Theatre, home of Shakespeare, the park.

It has been renovated for several years.

“While the construction site appears to be a desolate place for sensitive animals like coyotes, they know there are certain routines, certain schedules, and at night, it will be completely empty.”

To find them in the dark, photographers use hot monocular eyes.

“We basically just find them until we find them. We don’t always do that,” Ray said.

Emory said they had seen them running along a path until they saw humans and dogs together and quickly found a fascinating detour.

“They are really good at browsing the park and not being seen,” Emory said.

Naturalist St. Lawrence said some of his favorite moments were seeing coyotes playing on the ice near the castle and hearing their voices.

He said he fascinated coyotes in the same way as whales.

“These big animals live in the suburbs of the city, no one knows it,” he said.

But some people see coyotes as dangerous Rarely attack humans. According to scientists. To avoid this, people should give animals enough space instead of feeding them.

“They won’t get close to people, nor are they interested in dogs,” Lai said.

Not all interactions between coyotes and humans in Central Park are great – although they don’t seem to be the animal’s fault. In 1999, at least 25 police officers appeared on the animal sedative darts after someone spotted a coyote in the park. Wall Street Journal. They were able to catch him and transport him to the Wildlife Health Center in the Bronx Zoo.

In 2006, dozens of police officers walking and helicopters Chase Harnamed because he was found in the Harlett Nature Reserve. An officer fired with a dart and he was transferred to a wildlife rehabilitation center with the aim of freeing him in the forests in the suburbs.

Before that, he died.

Since then, officials have adjusted their approach to coyotes. In 2016, the city launched Wildlifenyc “Promote conservation and coexistence between humans and wildlife through public policies, responsible management programs and educational programs,” Katrina Toal, deputy director of the New York City Parks Wildlife Division, said in an email to the Guardian.

“Our goal is to make sure both people and coyotes have safe access to our parks,” Toal said. “This means encouraging people to observe coyotes from a distance and keep their pets traction.”

As for Romeo and Juliet, the photographer hopes to end with William Narder a happier one. During this spring’s coyote puppy season, St. Lawrence spent a lot of time in the park hoping to see the Cubs appear, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

He hopes Central Park is a better place for wildlife, but he is worried that people don’t breed dogs, litter and try to feed coyotes.

“I think if we had a complete coyote family in the park, many others would think it was great,” St. Lawrence said. “But we want to make sure that it’s positive for everyone, including coyotes.”