A coyote spotted on Alcatraz Island in January swam from Angel Island less than two miles to the north, the National Park Service said Monday.
Researchers matched the male coyote’s DNA to the population of the canines on Angel Island. Prior to getting that confirmation, scientists believed the coyote could have also come from mainland areas such as southern Marin County or from San Francisco itself, the National Park Service said in a release.
“We are surprised by the coyote’s origin. 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,” said Bill Merkle, a wildlife biologist with the National Park Service.
The coyote’s initial appearance was the first time one had appeared on Alcatraz Island in the more than 50 years it has been under National Park Service jurisdiction as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, spokesperson Julian Espinoza told SFGATE.
The coyote was last spotted on Jan. 24, when a visitor saw it and took a picture, the National Park Service said. Later, fresh tracks and scat were found, prompting Alcatraz Island park staff to set up audio and video monitoring, but the coyote was not seen or noticed on the monitors again.
“We don’t know what happened to the coyote. But he proved himself an expert swimmer to get to Alcatraz, and I hope he made a successful swim back home to Angel Island,” Mr. Merkle said.
