Move over, rats!
Coyotes are taking over the Big Apple.
Well, at least one anyway.
Photographer Benjamin Shyman caught images of a coyote hanging out in a park near East 74th Street in New York City on Friday, February 12. The song dog in question is apparently the same one that was spotted jostling through the snow in Central Park the week before.
The New York City Parks Department said in a statement that a or the coyote “…hangs out in Central Park from time to time” and that “New Yorkers should not be concerned: We believe there is only one coyote and have no reason to believe that the population has increased at this time.”
Why would a coyote hang out in New York City?
Plenty of food is my guess.
In addition to the trash left out by a populace of over 8 million people, there are also an estimated 33.6 million rats living in the five boroughs. There are also plenty of cats, pigeons, and small dogs to munch on.
Truth be told, I’m surprised there’s not a healthy populace of coyotes living in the city as the metropolis provides plenty of shelter and food for the wannabe wolves.
But then again, maybe there is a healthy populace living in the city.
The WildlifeNYC website, run by the New York City Government, states that there have been 126 reported coyote sightings city-wide since 2016. The website also suggests not feeding coyotes and protecting pets at all times.
Yeah.
With the city posting info like this, I’m guessing there is more than just one song dog in the Big Apple.
And now we have documented Coyotes on Long Island.