The ornithologist involved in an infamous 2020 altercation with a Central Park dog owner gets his own National Geographic Channel show called “Extraordinary Birder.”
Christian Cooper, who is black, made national news after filming a video of a panicked white woman named Amy Cooper threatening to call the police and tell them there is an “African American man threatening my life” in the park.
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That’s exactly what she did – and was accused of filing a false report. These chargers were later discontinued, although Cooper’s video went viral and the dog’s owner became known as “Central Park Karen”. A “Karen” is, in slang, an authoritative white woman who generally displays racist behavior.
Their argument seemed to stem from the fact that the woman had a wild dog in the park where Cooper watched the birds. The dog’s owner lost her job following the altercation. She sued her former employer for wrongful dismissal. Appearing on ABC’s “The View,” Cooper said he accepted an apology offered by his accuser.
[ Bird watcher says he won’t cooperate in Manhattan DA’s prosecution of dog walker caught on video ranting the Black man was ‘threatening’ her life ]
National Geographic has not announced when Cooper’s nature program will air. In a press release, the network announced this week “Longtime ornithologist Christian Cooper takes us into the wild, wonderful, and unpredictable world of birds.”
The 59-year-old birdwatcher show would take viewers to birding spots in Alaska, Puerto Rico and New York.