Meet the Coyotes Now Living Their Best Life in Central Park
Coyotes have been part of New York’s landscape far longer than most people realize. They began appearing around the city nearly a hundred years ago, and by the 1970s, they had already spread across the state. Over time, they found footholds in the Bronx and Queens, then slowly pushed farther into the city’s larger parks.
A single coyote can travel miles in a day, so the distance between Lower Manhattan and Central Park is hardly a stretch for them. They move with purpose, slipping through paths, hopping fences, and using the park’s quiet pockets as their own sheltered territory once most people head home.
Urban Wildlife With Real Range
Image via iStockphoto/Renata Tyburczy
New York’s parks hold more mammals than most residents ever imagine. Camera trap studies across dozens of green spaces in the Bronx captured squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, skunks, opossums, red foxes, and deer, as well as a mink under the George Washington Bridge.
Coyotes appeared most often in larger, more natural areas where shadows stretch long, and footpaths stay quiet. Central Park earned its spot on that list thanks to dense vegetation at the north end and woodsy thickets that offer cover.
The Pair Locals Can’t Stop Talking About
By 2020, one particular coyote had become familiar to anyone who spent time in the park. She carried herself with an easy confidence, slipping through dim corners and choosing her paths as if she knew every shortcut better than the people walking their dogs each morning. As sightings stacked up, so did the stories about her.
A few years later, in 2023, a bigger male appeared at her side. The two settled into a pattern that drew in wildlife photographers who began studying their movements with real dedication.
New Yorkers, who always find a way to add a little drama, eventually nicknamed them Romeo and Juliet. They move through the park together after dark, drift past benches, and claim small hunting spots tucked inside the woods. Their behavior echoes what biologists already know about coyotes, since they tend to form long-term bonds. The pair even sparked Valentine’s Day chatter after an evening sighting that showed them doing exactly what coyotes do best: staying alert, working together, and following their own agenda.
What They Get Up To After Dark
Romeo and Juliet keep their distance from people. They stay close to tree lines and avoid foot traffic whenever possible. Photographers observed them racing after rodents near water, swimming faster than the rats they chased, and once taking down a Canada goose.
They rest often, hunt together, and slip back into the brush before sunrise. Many moments go unseen, though passing dogs sometimes sense movement that their owners never notice.
Sharing Space With Wild Neighbors
City officials guide New Yorkers to keep interactions simple: never feed coyotes, leash pets near potential sightings, pick up food scraps, and make loud noises if one wanders too close. Only a handful of bites occur nationwide each year, and most involve animals that have grown too comfortable around people. Keeping them wary maintains the peace.
Romeo and Juliet seem content with their setup: a sprawling park, reliable hunting, plenty of hiding spots, and nightly strolls through the most famous patch of green in the country. New York may not slow down often, but the coyotes do just fine creating a life in its quiet pockets.