On the run: The coyote shortly after she was first spotted emerging from the Holland Tunnel into ManhattanFor a while it looked as though she'd outwitted the fire-power and resources of New York's finest but in the end there was no escape.
Dubbed Wile E Coyote, after the cartoon character, the 30lb female coyote was first spotted emerging from Holland Tunnel into Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon before darting into traffic.
The tunnel connects the island of Manhattan in New York City with New Jersey on the mainland.
Drivers and passersby alerted police and up to 20 officers were dispatched, some with tranquilizer guns, to catch the one-year-old female.
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Cornered? Officers with tranquilizer guns were sent out to catch the coyote'I thought it was a little wolf,' said 18-year-old painter Demetrius Jones. 'It looked scared.'
At one point they thought she was cornered in the TriBeca neighbourhood but she made another break for freedom and wasn't spotted again until yesterday.
Officers tracked her down to an open air car park at the corner of Watts Street and the West Side Highway. She was spotted hiding under a vehicle.
This time they managed to fire a tranquiliser dart into her before she got away again. The coyote was then taken away in a pet carrier to a rescue centre.
Detective James Coll, of New York's Emergency Service Unit, said: 'Our unit trains for any number of eventualities in the community. We do come across some strange things in the city but this one of the things that make this city as great as it is.'
Laying low: The coyote looks out from under a car as officers move in to catch her
I'm off: The coyote darted through traffic and escaped the officers pursuing her'I thought it was a little wolf,' said 18-year-old painter Demetrius Jones. 'It looked scared.'
At one point they thought she was cornered in the TriBeca neighbourhood but she made another break for freedom and wasn't spotted again until yesterday.
Officers tracked her down to an open air car park at the corner of Watts Street and the West Side Highway. She was spotted hiding under a vehicle.
This time they managed to fire a tranquiliser dart into her before she got away again. The coyote was then taken away in a pet carrier to a rescue centre.
Detective James Coll, of New York's Emergency Service Unit, said: 'Our unit trains for any number of eventualities in the community. We do come across some strange things in the city but this one of the things that make this city as great as it is.'
Animal welfare officials will observe the animal before deciding where to take it. It is not sure whether the coyote came via the tunnel from New Jersey or was trying to head out of the city.
I need back-up! First time round the coyote made good her escape but a day later officers captured the one-year-old 
Armed with tranquiliser guns, 20 officers were sent out to capture the coyote. The female was taken to an animal rescue centre after her capture, rightIt is the fourth time this year a coyote has been spotted in 'downtown' Manhattan.
In February, three coyotes were spotted on the Columbia University campus.
As unusual as it sounds, coyotes do live in New York City and in larger numbers outside the city limits.
The much-loved cartoon character Wile E CoyoteThere is even an established coyote population in Van Cortlandt Park which lies in the Bronx, to the north of Manhattan.
After 'Wile E' has been assessed she may even be released there as other captured coyotes have been, says the Bronx Ink website.
In 1998, a statue was put up at one of the park’s entrances in honour of 'the first confirmed coyote sighting in New York City since 1946'.
A 2006 report on coyotes noted that they have 'been present in New York state at least since 1920, as they extended their range eastward after wolves became extinct in the eastern U.S. and southern portions of Canada'.
The professor who carried out the survey estimated there were between 20,000 and 30,000 coyotes living in New York state.
New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation explains on its website that coyotes are 'firmly establised in New York'.
Under the 'Coyote Conflicts' heading it adds: 'People and coyotes can usually coexist if the natural fear of people that coyotes have is maintained.'
It points out that across the U.S. there are only a handful of coyote attacks each year, while on average 650 people are hospitalised and one person is killed by dogs each year in New York State.
But for cat owners it adds the following, somewhat tricky, advice 'keep it indoors, or allow it outside only under supervision'.
This is because: 'Coyotes in some areas appear to become "specialists" at catching and killing cats.'
Furthermore, owners of small dogs have cause for concern: 'Very small dogs, e.g., small poodles, are viewed by coyotes as easy prey and are at risk to be killed year round.'
source: dailymail
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