Coyote's epic swim to Alcatraz Island started much farther away than San Francisco, National Park Service says
A coyote that gained international attention after it was spotted swimming in frigid San Francisco Bay and arriving at Alcatraz Island earlier this year began its epic swim farther away than initially assumed, according to the National Park Service.
The intrepid coyote was spotted in January; a viral video showed it struggling to get its footing and shivering as it crawled out of the water onto the rocky shore of the former federal penitentiary. On Sunday, the NPS said in a press release that researchers determined the coyote likely started its journey from Angel Island State Park, and not from San Francisco. Alcatraz in about 1.25 miles away from San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, and approximately 2 miles from Angel Island.
"We are surprised by the coyote's origin," said park service wildlife ecologist Bill Merkle in a prepared statement. "Our working assumption was that the coyote made the swim from San Francisco because it is a significantly shorter distance. We couldn't help being impressed by his accomplishment in making it to Alcatraz. Coyotes are known to be resilient and adaptable, and he certainly demonstrated those qualities."
NPS said that after the coyote was spotted, park biologists surveyed Alcatraz for tracks, placed cameras along trails, and collected evidence to learn more about the island visitor. Coyote scat was collected and sent to the University of California, Davis veterinary genetics lab, and the results matched the male coyote's DNA to Angel Island's coyote population, NPS said.
Researchers were interested in finding the coyote and relocating it because of the seabird nesting habitats on Alcatraz, but the coyote not seen again or captured on any of the recording devices placed. Despite the extensive search, the NPS said there is no evidence the coyote is still on Alcatraz Island, and no remains have been found.
"We don't know what happened to the coyote," Merkle said. "But he proved himself an expert swimmer to get to Alcatraz, and I hope he made a successful swim back home to Angel Island."