We know coyotes stroll around Central Park. Now, we know the shy and skittish animals also lounge on the steps of the park's Delacorte Theater, cross busy intersections, bond affectionately out in the open, and howl in response to emergency vehicles' sirens. In a report at Smithsonian, New York City photographers David Lei and Jacqueline Emery describe their efforts to track a pair of coyotes—dubbed Romeo and Juliet—who've made a home in the woodland landscape of the Ramble. They may have descended from coyotes in the Bronx and traveled to Manhattan's Upper West Side using train tracks running alongside the Henry Hudson Parkway, according to the Gotham Coyote Project.
Romeo has been around since 2019. Juliet—"larger, darker and more skittish than her mate"—was first spotted in January 2024. Since then, "we have seen them take down a Canada goose, walk gingerly across frozen ponds, cross busy intersections in and outside of the park, and jump gracefully over four-foot-tall fences," write the photographers. Lei and Emery have also seen mating. What they haven't seen is pups. It's unclear why, but it may be that the coyotes were forced to abandon their concealed den.
Lei and Emery say off-leash dogs in the park illegally often behave aggressively and have even been seen chasing the coyotes, who haven't been known to harm a person or pet. Rather, they keep the rodent population in check. "The likelihood of a person being attacked by a domestic dog in and around the park is much greater," write Lei and Emery. If the coyotes do have pups in the park, it "would be a major milestone for the species" as "coyotes have never been confirmed to breed in Manhattan," the pair note. However, if the conditions aren't right, Romeo and Juliet may instead choose to leave in search of a place more hospitable. See the pair in the park while you can.
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