World Wildlife Conservation Day 2024

World Wildlife Conservation Day is coming up on December 4th and what better way to celebrate it by raising awareness of wildlife in New York City! Flushing Meadows Corona Park and parks around the city are home to a diversity of wildlife, such as coyotes and white-tailed deer. Lets take a dive to learn about the importance of these species, how they play a role in our ecosystem and ways we can promote peaceful coexistence with them.

Coyotes have been present in New York since the 1930s and have been living around the city since 1995. Coyotes play an important role as they are predators in our ecosystem and prey on small mammals such as rodents. They can be seen during the day however, they are most active once the sunsets and at night, you may also be able to spot them during mating season which is around January to March or October to January. They are very curious animals and they like to observe human behavior but they tend to avoid being close to humans as much as possible. 

White Tail Deers have been around New York since the 16th century and have been a part of our rich ecosystem, they are considered a keystone species which mean they have a direct impact on other plants and animals. They increase plant diversity, soil fertility, and spread seeds. However, in abundance they can be considered invasive and even pose a threat to us while driving. City officials need to manage the deer population so they can peacefully exist with humans. 

With daylight savings time and the sun setting earlier, we may see an increase in coyotes and white tailed deers across NYC Parks. Click here to learn more about the Wildlife in NYC and how we can coexist with these species. Want to get involved? Consider participating in educational programs, tree planting, and park beautification projects.