Alcatraz Coyote Stuns Scientists: It Actually Swam From Miles Away

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A coyote that went viral earlier this year after being suspected of swimming from San Francisco to Alcatraz actually came from Angel Island, experts said.

The coyote made a splash after Alcatraz visitors photographed it swimming to the island on Jan. 24.

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Experts with the National Park Service say they originally thought the coyote swam from San Francisco because it's a much shorter distance to Alcatraz— about a mile and a half.

Despite setting up cameras and audio recording devices, experts never found the coyote. But scat and footprints left behind allowed them to conduct a DNA analysis, which showed the coyote came from a population on Angel Island, National Park Service experts said, a two-mile swim from Alcatraz.

"We are surprised by the coyote’s origin," park service wildlife ecologist Bill Merkle said. "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."

It's unclear where the coyote is now or why it went to the island. Experts say they wanted to capture and relocate it because Alcatraz is used as a seabird nesting habitat. There's no evidence to suggest the coyote is still on the island.

"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."