‘Central Park Karen’ birdwatcher Christian Cooper lands new TV series

nypost.com:

Christian Cooper — the black man and avid bird-watcher at the center of the 2020 “Central Park Karen” fiasco — has scored a TV gig at National Geographic.Cooper, 59, will host a series for the nature channel called “Extraordinary Birder.”The lifelong bird enthusiast will take viewers “into the wild, wonderful and unpredictable world of birds,” according to National Geographic.The channel has yet to announce a release date.“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,” the network said in a statement.

Cooper, a Harvard University graduate, has been an avid warbler-watcher since he was 10. He recently shared with the New York Times that he “was all in” when he was asked to host the upcoming show.Six episodes have already been filmed and produced. “I love spreading the gospel of birding,” he told the publication.The Long Island native also noted that he anticipates that the show will allow others to “stop and watch and listen and really start appreciating the absolutely spectacular creatures that we have among us.”In 2020, a dog-walker named Amy Cooper (no relation) called the cops on Christian Cooper in Central Park while he was birdwatching, claiming he was “threatening” her.A video of the incident went viral at the time, showing Cooper telling the woman that it was unlawful to leave her cocker spaniel unleashed in the park.The altercation concluded with Amy telling the National Audubon Society member that she was calling the cops “to tell them there’s an African-American man.