Christian Cooper, Central Park Birdwatcher, Gets Own TV Show: Reports

Upper West Side NY

23 May, 2022

3:18 PM

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UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Two years after he was threatened by a white woman while he tried to observe birds in Central Park's Ramble, Christian Cooper is set to embark on a new chapter as a television host. Cooper, 59, will host a birdwatching show titled "Extraordinary Birder" for National Geographic, the network announced last week. "TV star" is only the latest addition to Cooper's long resume, which also includes freelance writer and editor, and first openly gay comic book author at Marvel Comics. "Whether braving stormy seas in Alaska for puffins, trekking into rainforests in Puerto Rico for parrots, or scaling a bridge in Manhattan for a peregrine falcon, he does whatever it takes to learn about these extraordinary feathered creatures and show us the remarkable world in the sky above," National Geographic said in a statement. News of the show comes nearly two years to the day after the May 25, 2020 incident, when Cooper, who is Black, walked up to Amy Cooper (no relation) and asked her to leash her dog. In an interaction filmed by Christian Cooper that soon went viral, Amy Cooper called 911, telling the dispatcher that "an African-American man" had "tried to assault her" and had taken treats out in an attempt to lure her dog over to him, according to a criminal complaint later filed against her. Amy Cooper's actions were condemned by many as racist, seen by some as an attempt to inflict police violence on Christian Cooper. Those fears were only amplified within days when news broke of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis — which happened the very same day as the Central Park confrontation. Amy Cooper, for her part, apologized publicly and sued her former employer months later, saying the company — the investment firm Franklin Templeton — unfairly fired her before investigating the claims made against her. After initially charging Cooper with falsely reporting an incident, then-District Attorney Cy Vance dropped the charges in February 2021 after she completed a restorative justice program. Related coverage: Amy Cooper Sues Ex-Employer, Alleging Racial DiscriminationCharges Against 'Central Park Karen' Amy Cooper Dismissed: DAAmy Cooper Hit With 2nd Charge Of False 911 Call On Black BirderBlack Birdwatcher Police Call Inspires Bias BillDog Returned To Woman Who Called Cops On Black Birdwatcher