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Coyote captured in Central Park
22/03/2006 22:46 - (SA)
New York - A wily adult coyote that caused consternation among joggers in New York's Central Park was finally captured on Wednesday after a massive police dragnet involving helicopters.
After repeatedly evading capture since it was first sighted on Tuesday afternoon, the wild animal was cornered by members of the police department's emergency service unit and subdued with tranquilliser guns.
"They're going to take it upstate to a wildlife rehabilitation location," said Carli Smith of the city's parks department.
"As of now, it's still in the park and they're just trying to put it in a cage and take it to another location," said Smith.
Police had surrounded the coyote earlier in the day in the southeast corner of the park, which is bordered by the Upper East Side luxury homes of New York's rich and famous.
But the animal managed to escape the dragnet by jumping into a lake and running north.
It was finally cornered near a road that traverses the middle of the park.
No move had been made to evacuate the area, as the coyote was not considered a danger to people.
"Coyotes, by nature, typically avoid human contact," said park official Warner Johnston.
Second one caught in park
Pet owners, however, had been warned to keep their dogs on a leash.
Officials first heard of the coyote's presence after public sightings of a "wolf-like animal" on Tuesday afternoon.
It was the second time in seven years that a coyote had made its way into Central Park.
Another coyote captured in April 1999 now resides in Flushing Zoo in Queens.
Johnston said it was not clear how the normally people-shy animal ended up in the middle of one of the world's most densely populated cities.
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