Wild beasts are roaming city streets across the country. Why are they showing up in our neighborhoods? INSIDE EDITION reports.
They are large, frightening, and potentially very dangerous; Wild beasts on the loose in big cities.
Alligators, bulls, even a deer running through a Washington D.C. subway!
David Mizejewski of the National Wildlife Federation says out West, the drought has sent bears into cities scavenging for food.
"They're just expanding into their former territories which happen to be our cities and towns," said Mizejewski.
But what should you do if you are confronted by a bear?
"Don't be aggressive toward the bear because that could also trigger the bear to want to defend itself and that could be a dangerous scenario," commented Mizejewski.
One bear looked pretty comfortable in a New Jersey neighborhood, walking upright just like a human.
And two other bears really got into it on a residential street in New Jersey. Just imagine stumbling upon that street fight when you walk out your front door!
We all know that running with the bulls in Spain can get gory, but here at home, a wild bull in an urban setting can be just as dangerous.
And a mountain lion must be star struck. He was photographed in the foothills outside Los Angeles with the famous Hollywood sign behind him.
“You definitely never want to run. These are predators and when you run they see you as prey. So, don't run, don't turn your back on it, keep facing it, make noise, keep eye contact with it and it’s going to be less likely to approach you," said Mizejewski.
In Chicago a coyote tried to grab a bite to eat in a sandwich shop. He put up a ferocious fight when he was removed from the premises. And in the Nation's largest city, a coyote was spotted on the West Side highway in New York City.
To investigate the animal uproar in New York, INSIDE EDITION’s Stevan Fabian headed uptown, reporting, “That coyote could be living in this very park. We are in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York City, just steps away from neighborhoods, from sidewalks where people live. We are on a bit of a coyote hunt. We've got an infrared camera here hoping to catch one of these animals on film."
With Fabian was Dr. Christopher Nagy of the Gotham Coyote Project. Dr. Nagy says he's spotted five wild coyote's in the park, and the high tech FLIR camera picked up plenty of prey to feed on, including a shunk!
Fabian said, "We found a skunk, probably don't want to get too close to that."
"This is why coyotes are doing pretty well around here, tons of small mammals, lots of rabbits," said Dr. Nagy.
And this naturalist has advice for residents with small pets. Dr. Nagy said, "Don't leave your small pets or small children unsupervised. Don't walk your dogs off leash."
One thing is for sure; in the urban jungle don't be surprised to find a wild beast coming to a city near you.
