Buzz
Their haunting howls cut through the night, a bold proclamation of untamed nature. This sound, echoing through the Appalachian hills or the Mojave desert, evokes the allure of the wilderness. Yet, when heard by someone strolling down Broadway, it feels strangely misplaced.
New York City isn’t typically chosen for its natural encounters, but that’s exactly what residents are getting as coyotes attempt to embrace the urban sophistication of the Big Apple. This spring, these canines were seen on a bar in Long Island City, wandering the Upper West Side and Battery Park, and even making an appearance at LaGuardia Airport.
The sightings sparked a media frenzy, with coverage ranging from National Geographic to The New Yorker. This isn’t the first time coyotes have infiltrated urban areas—nearly every major North American city hosts a coyote population, including an estimated 2,000 in downtown Chicago. But New York, the epitome of urban sprawl, symbolizes something greater. The presence of these carnivorous creatures on its streets blurs the line between the manmade and the wild. If coyotes can thrive here, they can thrive anywhere.
What Brings Them Here?
The presence of coyotes in urban settings is as much a result of human influence as their own adaptability. These new urban dwellers aren’t reclaiming their ancestral territories. While coyotes now inhabit every corner of the continent, a millennium ago, they were confined to the deserts and plains of the western regions.
Coyotes migrated to metropolitan areas following a trail we inadvertently created, driven by their constant quest for new opportunities. Over the past two centuries, human activity around New York transformed the landscape—first by clearing vast forests and later by allowing some of that greenery to return. “We’ve shaped an environment that, aside from the roads, is ideal for deer, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes,” said Chris Nagy, a wildlife biologist with the Gotham Coyote Project, in an interview with mental_floss. “It’s a young forest teeming with small mammals,” which happen to be a coyote’s preferred prey.
Humans have also inadvertently aided coyotes by nearly eliminating their primary rivals: wolves. Through hunting and habitat destruction, wolves and other large predators were eradicated from the northeastern U.S. With the apex predator role vacant, coyotes expanded eastward over the same period humans moved west. They traveled north through Ontario, interbreeding with gray wolves and later dogs, resulting in a new subspecies known as the coywolf, which is now appearing in New York.
“There’s always a group of nomadic individuals searching for new territory,” Nagy noted. As young coyotes venture out to establish their own domains, they transition from forests to suburbs, from suburbs to city parks, and eventually, they’re spotted darting through urban streets.
Throughout their history, coyotes have been the underdogs, a status that has honed their resilience and earned them a reputation for cunning and adaptability. “Their entire evolutionary journey has been shaped by the threat of wolves and the relentless pursuit by humans,” Nagy explained. “They’re incredibly intelligent, highly adaptable, and always find a way to survive.”
The new residents are here to stay
Not everyone shares Nagy’s enthusiasm for these animals. “People often tell me, ‘They don’t belong here,’” he said. “And I respond, ‘Says who? The coyotes are already here.’”
While researchers emphasize that coyotes pose little danger to humans—and may even offer benefits by controlling populations of rodents, deer, and geese—some suburban residents have called for stricter management due to concerns about pets becoming prey or the risk of rabies. Additionally, the USDA kills thousands of coyotes annually to protect livestock.
Jonathan Way, author of Suburban Howls, notes that the past 150 years, during which humans have largely lived without predators, is the exception rather than the rule. “We’re simply unaccustomed to it because it hasn’t been part of our recent experience,” Nagy added. “But this isn’t the norm, and it won’t remain this way.”
“Attempting to control coyotes is like trying to plug a leak in a dam,” Nagy added. “The effort and resources required to eradicate them from suburban areas—and to suppress populations of raccoons and small mammals—are beyond feasible.”
Currently, New York City wildlife authorities advocate that it’s humans who must adjust to coyotes by adopting straightforward precautions, such as supervising pets and avoiding interactions with these wild animals.
Even if we attempted to exclude them, coyotes would likely find alternative ways to coexist with us. Their resourcefulness and adaptability have proven them to be exceptionally clever.
