A New York jogger got the scare of his life while out for a morning run in Central Park.
Brett Cohn was out for a morning workout Saturday when he encountered a huge coyote.
On X.com, formerly Twitter, Cohn posted two videos of his encounter with the wild animal.
In the first video, the coyote turns its head and looks placidly at the runner, apparently indifferent to his presence.
Brett Cohn was out for a run early Saturday morning when a huge coyote stopped him in his tracks (pictured).
After scanning the runner, the animal turns around and crosses the sidewalk.
You can’t hear any other pedestrians walking through the park, you can only hear the birds chirping in the background.
In the video below, the coyote prances in the grass, ears pricked, before stopping and looking into the distance.
For her caption, she wrote, “A big coyote stopped me in my tracks this morning.”
Cohn later added that the “big coyote” was “bigger than a German shepherd.”
Viewers quickly took to the comments section to express their alarm and amazement at seeing the large animal.
Cohn posted two videos of his encounter with the wild animal on his X.com profile.
The runner captioned the videos: ‘A big coyote blew me away this morning!’
One commenter simply commented: “He’s a big man.”
Another wrote: ‘That’s a major problem. I’ve seen a few around Chicago over the years, but I’m pretty sure they were smaller.
One user explained that coyotes were “pretty big in New York.” Much larger than those in southern California.
In his Tweet, Cohn tagged ‘Bird Central Park,’ an X.com account run by nature experts who focus on documenting wildlife in Manhattan.
Manhattan Bird Alert, which has nearly 92,000 followers, commented on the video, noting that the footage appeared to have been recorded “on the south slope of Cherry Hill, just north of the 72nd Street intersection.”
Cohn confirmed this and responded, “Exactly!”
Naturalists at Manhattan Bird Alert thanked Cohn for his “excellent images” and later shed light on the coyote’s appearance, noting that the animal appeared to have some wolfish characteristics.
In the videos, the coyote appeared to watch the jogger carefully before turning around and crossing the sidewalk. A wildlife official noted that the coyote appeared to possess more “wolf genetics” than most.
Cohn encountered the coyote in New York’s Central Park (pictured). Specifically, it was on the south slope of Cherry Hill, just north of the 72nd Street intersection.
They wrote: “This large coyote, perhaps with more wolf genetics than most, is known to be active in Central Park during the day.”
According to the official Central Park website, ‘cOyotes have been in and around New York City since the 1930s and have been seen in areas such as the Ramble and North Woods.
The website claimed that, contrary to widespread belief, “coyotes are shy animals” and “are very good at avoiding humans.”
But they warned that ‘if a coyote feels threatened, it will try to defend itself.’
Central Park officials advised that “the best thing you can do if you see a coyote in the park is to stay calm and keep your distance.”
‘You can observe the animal while respecting its space (stay at least 150 feet away, if possible). Don’t approach the coyote.’
As to whether or not a coyote will attack your pet, the website said, “It is best to keep dogs on a leash when in Central Park, even during off-leash hours.”
Experts estimate that there are around 20 coyotes in New York City, although this number changes with the seasons.
‘This is both for your safety and the safety of other park visitors. The leash is especially important when dealing with coyotes; Make sure your dog remains within your sight at all times.
The website also noted that while coyotes have nocturnal tendencies, they are known to roam during the day.
“Coyotes are most active at night, however, they are not strictly nocturnal, so it is possible to find some roaming around during the day.”
Researchers estimate there are about 20 coyotes in New York City, although that number is not fixed and fluctuates with the seasons.