EFE
NY
Coyotes, which have been frequently sighted in the Bronx and other areas of New York, continue to expand from their natural territories to urban environments and adapt to human food, according to studies carried out by the Gotham Coyote Project, which since 2010 follow the trail of these mammals.
The wildlife ecologist, Chris Nagy, is dedicated to collecting coyote droppings in the Pelham Bay Park park in The Bronx (north of the city), which has allowed him to know about their diet, movement patterns, their DNA and how they are adapting to urban life, says the Gothamist website.
Such analysis has revealed that some droppings have fed on human food, such as chicken, but for the most part, they seem to prefer their traditional food sources.
As part of his research, Nagy, co-founder of the Gotham Project, has placed digital field cameras that help study the movements and behaviors of coyotes as well as that of their favorite prey, such as foxes and white-tailed deer. Gothamist.
According to Nagy, metropolitan coyotes are having an impact on the urban ecosystem. Through the cameras, he has observed behavioral changes in some 20 different species of animals that share a habitat with coyotes and that may be their prey, especially rabbits and deer, which have had to limit their activity to dawn or dusk.
Scat samples analyzed between 2010 and 2017 have also established that all coyotes in New York were related, “which indicates to me that they are dispersing and colonizing different parks,” he said. researcher Carol Henger.
Since then, they have been sighted in Bronx parks, crossing train tracks along the west side of Manhattan or swimming the Est River, moving in the dark through deserted streets, and in a variety of green spaces like Central Park. .
The coyote, unlike the wolf, has evaded extermination by increasing its territories and adapting to different environments. “They got here not because we wanted them or they were endangered or we bred them and left them in parks. They arrived by themselves, even when we tried to eradicate them for 200 years,” said the ecologist.
“Theoretically, coyotes could thrive in the city, but the big question is where is the threshold. You never know with coyotes, but I don’t think they’re going to have a den in Times Square,” she stated wryly.
The researchers’ goals are to learn more about coyotes and understand their impact on the urban ecosystem while educating the public.
Posted on December 21, 2022
