SEE: Cops Called As Black Man Asks Woman To Leash Dog In C Park

CENTRAL PARK, NY — Video of a white woman calling the NYPD on a black bird watcher in Central Park's ramble has been viewed by millions on social media platforms as the latest example of the police being called on a black person without a valid reason.

The woman in the video — identified as Amy Cooper — has been fired from her job, surrendered her dog back to an adoption agency and apologized for her actions on national news programs since the video was uploaded Monday afternoon.

The altercation between Cooper and bird watcher Christian Cooper — no relation — started when the birder asked Cooper to leash her dog in the Ramble.

In a Facebook post, Christian Cooper wrote that he approached Amy Cooper because her dog was "tearing through the plantings" in the ramble. When Cooper declined to leash her dog, Christian Cooper said "if you're going to do what you want, I'm going to do what I want, but you're not going to like it," and began to offer dog treats to Cooper's cocker spaniel.

Christian Cooper told CNN that he keeps dog treats on him because offering them to unleashed dogs usually get their owners to restrain them on the leash. The birder told CNN that he was "actually pretty calm," during his entire interaction with the dog owner.

Video of the ensuing altercation between Christian Cooper and Amy Cooper shows that the bird watcher remained that calm even as the woman called the police on him. At the beginning of the video, Christian Cooper tells Amy not to approach him and says "please call the cops" and "tell them whatever you like" after an initial threat to do so.

"I'm in the Ramble and there's a man — African-American — he has a bicycle helmet. He's recording me and threatening me and my dog," Amy Cooper says after calling the police.

"I'm being threatened by a man in the Ramble, please send the cops immediately," Cooper continues in a distressed voice.

By the time NYPD officers responded to the Ramble both Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper had left the area, CNN reported.

Cooper told the cable news station that she is "not a racist" and offered to "publicly apologize to everyone."

"I think I was just scared," Amy Cooper told CNN. "When you're alone in the Ramble, you don't know what's happening. It's not excusable, it's not defensible."

Cooper's employer, the investment firm Franklin Templeton, issued a statement Monday saying that Cooper was placed on leave as the company investigates the situation. On Tuesday, Cooper was fired.

"We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton," the company said in a statement.

The animal rescue group Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue posted on its Facebook page that Cooper voluntarily surrendered the dog to the group on Monday. The cocker spaniel was adopted from the group "a few years ago," according to the post.

"Our mission remains the health and safety of our rescued dogs. The dog is now in our rescue’s care and he is safe and in good health. We will not be responding to any further inquiries about the situation," the animal rescue's Facebook post says.

Amy Cooper told CNN that her "life is being destroyed," since the video was posted on Monday. Christian Cooper told the network that his life could have ended if police showed up to the scene and misinterpreted the situation.

"I videotaped it because I thought it was important to document things," Christian Cooper told CNN. "Unfortunately we live in an era with things like Ahmaud Arbery, where black men are seen as targets. This woman thought she could exploit that to her advantage, and I wasn't having it."