The animal rescue group who confiscated Amy Cooper's dog after her racist confrontation with a birdwatcher in New York's Central Park, which went viral last month, said on Wednesday that it will return the canine.
Cooper went viral last month when she was filmed calling the police on a black man who asked her to put her dog on its leash in Central Park. The incident also resulted in her being fired from her job.
You can see the controversial confrontation below:In a Facebook post, Abandoned Angels said that vets determined that Cooper's dog was in good health, and that law enforcement had refused to take the dog into their custody.
They wrote:
"Abandoned Angels would like to express its gratitude for the outpouring of support regarding the dog that was recently placed in our custody, following release of a troubling video that was brought to our attention.
"The dog was promptly evaluated by our veterinarian, who found that he was in good health. We have coordinated with the appropriate New York City law enforcement agencies, which have declined to examine the dog or take it into their custody.
"Accordingly, and consistent with input received from law enforcement, we have now complied with the owner's request for return of the dog."
Last month, Melody Cooper took to Twitter to share a video of the moment a white woman called the cops on her brother, Christian Cooper, after he had allegedly asked her to put her dog on its leash
In the video, the woman can be heard telling the emergency service operator that an "African-American man" was "threatening her and her dog".
Melody later shared the video to Twitter, and labeled Amy Cooper as "Karan" in the caption. She wrote:
"Oh, when Karens take a walk with their dogs off leash in the famous Bramble in NY’s Central Park, where it is clearly posted on signs that dogs MUST be leashed at all times, and someone like my brother (an avid birder) politely asks her to put her dog on the leash."
According to Dictionary.com, 'Karen' is a "mocking slang term for an entitled, obnoxious, middle-aged white woman."
Christian Cooper, who can be heard speaking calmly throughout the video, claims he asked Amy Cooper to put her dog on a leash. When she refused, he offered the dog a treat.
He told NBC New York:
"The only way they can keep the dog from eating the treat is to put it on a leash. At some point, she decided I’m gonna play the race card, I guess."
Amy Cooper's employer, asset management firm Franklin Templeton, had placed her on administrative leave, but later announced that she had been fired.
Making the announcement public on their official Twitter account, Franklin Templeton tweeted to their 99,000+ followers:
"Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton."
Amy Cooper claimed she felt threatened because she didn't know what the treats were made from. She also apologized for the incident during a phone interview with NBC New York. She said:
"I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone, especially to that man, his family. It was unacceptable and I humbly and fully apologize to everyone who’s seen that video, everyone that’s been offended… everyone who thinks of me in a lower light and I understand why they do."
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