By Gus Saltonstall
There are now two coyotes in Central Park and they’ve officially become a couple.
The male coyote who has been living in Central Park for the past four years has found a partner, researchers at the Gotham Coyote Project confirmed to Gothamist. The match most likely took place at the end of 2023, when the female coyote was first spotted in the iconic Manhattan green space.
The nonprofit, which has tracked coyotes throughout New York City since 2010, waited until Tuesday to confirm the coyotes’ commitment to each other, because of how easy it is to double-count the same coyote.
Coyotes are notoriously elusive, but a person was able to capture a video of the romantic partners on a late night stroll in March. Coyotes often mate for life.
2 coyotes in Central Park by the Met tonight, 3/30/2024. #CentralPark #coyote #birdcpp pic.twitter.com/EgDAZJEM3h
— AkikoNYC (@NycAkiko) March 31, 2024
The Gotham Coyote Project told Gothamist that the female coyote most likely took the same route to Central Park as did the male, traveling along the train tracks next to the West Side Highway, before moving from one green space to the next, until making it to the most wooded area of Central Park.
“So far, the coyotes have enjoyed a child-free romance,” Gothamist reported. “[Chris] Nagy [Gotham Coyote Project co-founder] and his fellow coyote-lovers have not found a den or any pups.”
Nagy theorizes that the coyotes might have attempted to create a den, but were unable to maintain it because Central Park is so busy.
“It’s possible that city life has deterred the pair from settling down and becoming parents,” he added to Gothamist. “[In] Central Park, you have a lot of eyes. I don’t see a way for them to hide a den.”
If you do come across a coyote, the Parks Department advises to keep your distance and avoid close contact.
A spokesperson from the agency added that you should not feed coyotes, and to properly dispose of garbage in green spaces where the animals might frequent, to monitor your pets that might be viewed as prey, and to make yourself look bigger and make loud noises if a coyote does approach you.
You can read more about the Central Park coyote couple — HERE.
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This is wonderful news!!!
Really? Coyotes are a threat to children and pets! How would you feel if you child or grandchild was attacked by a coyote?
Grew up with coyotes as part of the nightly ‘atmosphere’ and sound track, though I don’t really know what their range is, and what space they need around their den for it to feel safe for their pups, but I do hope that the couple finds private-enough housing in the North Woods or the Ramble. Good for the food chain, I would think? Rodents abound in the park, with little predators other than some birds of prey…
“city life has deterred the pair from settling down and becoming parents.” Yea, I can relate to you.
This could lead to a boom in coyote population in the park, which would be a problem. Not a good thing.
Not likely. Coyotes have an instinctual range thing and they will leave if there’s more than one or two roaming a certain area. They might have some kits but once they are old enough they will strike out on their own to find a less crowded place. It took this lone coyote quite a while just to find a mate for this reason.
Two Central Park coyotes in love? A “child-free romance” according to the Gothamist. Don’t tell JD Vance.
tee hee
How are coyotes allowed to roam free in a location so busy with people? Isn’t their presence a little too adjacent to being dangerous to both themselves and people? Don’t they attack humans? I am asking out of pure ignorance but with more than a little bit of concern for us and them.
No, coyotes do not generally attack people. They are afraid of people.
Coyotes see humans as danger so they try to stay away as much as possible.
So do snakes, and yet thousands of people a year get bitten by poisonous snakes!
It’s sad that here in New York City, even the coyotes are experiencing a housing shortage. Such a shame that these two can’t settle down in their own home to establish their family.
I’ll bet that they are cat lovers!
I don’t have anything against the coyotes but is it necessary to have them in our parks? Shouldn’t they be removed now before there is another generation? City residents must already share the park with many rats and these days, criminals- I know they are not necessarily aggressive but is there an advantage to having them here??? I’ve always felt that one of the advantages of city living was not having to deal with country wildlife……
I would guess the coyotes would help with the rat issues…
Bet the coyotes are thinking, “Must we share the park with all these hoomans?” 😉
(Said by someone who screams at the sight of a bug, but trying to take a non-human-centric view here…)
So sweet 🥰
The Romeo and Juliet Central Park
They need to tranquilize them and get them the hell upstate. What happens when they have babies? And then they start protecting them and attacking people and killing dogs for their dinner and all that….
Ya cant have wild creatures living in a City…nuts!
“Ya can’t have wild creatures” — What, like the millions of disease-ridden rats climbing all over our neighborhoods?
True, true…But I’d love to catch a glimpse of them before they go! I get excited when I see turtles, hawks and cardinals in the park…A coyote spotting would be pretty great as long as it was far enough away…
Manhattan: so expensive even the coyotes can’t afford to raise kids