In the spring this year in New York, Chris St Lawrence would finish work as a naturalist on a whale watching boat and then quickly make the 90-minute trek to Central Park to arrive in time for sunset, when a pair of coyotes often start to creep out.

St Lawrence, who is also a photographer, said it’s taxing to stand for four hours on a boat, keeping his eyes peeled for marine mammals, and then to remain just as alert at the park in the middle of Manhattan, looking for Romeo and Juliet, as the coyotes have become known.

“You gotta keep your eyes open in terms of safety but also, you don’t want to miss the shot,” said St Lawrence, who is a conservation education master’s student at New York University.

Despite the challenges, he and other local photographers spend nights roaming the green oasis inside the concrete jungle because they want the public to learn about the coyotes, including the fact that they don’t need to be afraid of them.

That then helps protect the species as a whole, which in recent decades have started to show up in greater numbers in urban areas across America.

“We think it’s important that people are aware that there are Central Park coyotes and to understand how sensitive they are and know that there is no reason to fear them,” said David Lei, a Manhattan resident who spends most nights at the park along with his significant other and fellow photographer, Jacqueline Emery.

A century ago, the only coyotes in North America were located on the western half of the continent but then they gradually expanded eastward.

They have been able to do so because of the decline of their predators, like wolves, and the transformation of farmland into suburbs, according to Chris Nagy, a wildlife biologist and the co-founder of Gotham Coyote, which aims to learn more about the expansion of the animals into New York City.

“Coyotes are pumping out babies every year, and those young start trickling in all directions,” said Nagy, “The empty space is the city, and for a variety of reasons, coyotes are adaptable enough to figure out the urban habitat and what they need to do to live.”

A coyote in Chicago in June 2011. Photograph: E Jason Wambsgans/MCT/Getty Images

In the Chicago area alone there are at least 4,000 coyotes, according to a study published in the journal Urban Ecosystems.

In New York City, researchers think there are about 20.

Romeo and Juliet probably migrated from Westchester to the Bronx and then walked along railroad tracks to Manhattan, according to those who studied them. Juliet arrived in 2019, Romeo in 2023.

Lei and Emery spotted them while following Flaco, an owl who escaped the Central Park Zoo.

They gave the coyotes their names because they would often hang out at Delacorte Theater, home of Shakespeare in the Park.

It was under renovation for several years.

“While a construction site might seem like an inhospitable location for a sensitive animal like a coyote, they know that there are certain routines, certain schedules, and that at night it will be completely empty,” Lei said.

To find them in the dark, the photographers use thermal monoculars.

“We’ll just basically go from spot to spot until we find them. We don’t always do,” Lei said.

They have seen them trotting down a path until they see humans with dogs and quickly figure out a detour, which is fascinating, Emery said.

“They are really adept at navigating the park and not being seen,” Emery said.

St Lawrence, the naturalist, said some of his favorite moments have been seeing the coyotes playing on ice near a castle and hearing them howl.

He said he is fascinated with coyotes in the same way as with whales.

“There are these big animals living right on the outskirts of the city that nobody knows about,” he said.

But some people see the coyotes as dangerous even though they rarely attack humans, according to scientists. To avoid that, people should give the animals plenty of space and not feed them.

“They are not going to approach people, and they are not interested in dogs. You would have a lot more reason to be fearful of your dog being bitten by another dog,” Lei said.

A coyote walks through Griffith Park, the nation’s largest urban park, after fleeing flames on 9 May 2007 in Los Angeles. Photograph: David McNew/Getty Images

Not all interactions between coyotes and humans at Central Park have gone well – though they didn’t seem to be the animals’ fault. In 1999, after someone spotted a coyote at the park, at least 25 police officers showed up with animal tranquilizer darts, according to the Wall Street Journal. They were able to catch him and transport him to Bronx Zoo’s Wildlife Health Center.

In 2006, dozens of police officers on foot and in a helicopter chased Hal, so named because he was discovered at the Hallett Nature Sanctuary. An officer shot him with a dart, and he was transferred to a wildlife rehabilitation center, with the intention of releasing him in a forest upstate.

Before that could happen, he died.

Since then, officials have adjusted their approach to coyotes. In 2016, the city launched WildlifeNYC “to promote conservation and coexistence between humans and wildlife through public policy, responsible management plans and educational initiatives,” Katrina Toal, NYC Parks wildlife unit deputy director, stated in an email to the Guardian.

“Our goal is to make sure that both people and coyotes can safely use our parks,” Toal stated. “That means encouraging people to observe coyotes from a distance and to keep their pets leashed.”

As to Romeo and Juliet, the photographers hope for a happier ending than what William penned. St Lawrence spent a lot of time at the park during the coyote pupping season this spring, hoping to see cubs emerge, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

He would like Central Park to become a better place for wildlife, but he worries about people not leashing their dogs, littering and trying to feed the coyotes.

“I think a lot of other people would think it’s amazing if we had a full coyote family in the park,” St Lawrence said. “But we want to make sure that that is a positive for everybody, including the coyotes.”