A male coyote that became famous after swimming to Alcatraz Island in January likely came from Angel Island State Park, according to National Park Service researchers, who used DNA from the coyote’s scat to figure out where he originated.
It was originally assumed that he came from San Francisco, as it represents a significantly shorter swim. The distance between Alcatraz and Angel Island is nearly two miles.
“Three distinct coyote populations could have been the source of the Alcatraz coyote, San Francisco, Southern Marin, and Angel Island,” said Dr. Ben Sacks from UC Davis. “Our lab was able to take the DNA sample and match it to a coyote previously sampled from the Angel Island population.”
“We are surprised by the coyote’s origin,” said park service wildlife ecologist Bill Merkle. “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.”
In late January, an Alcatraz visitor spotted and photographed the coyote as it climbed from the water and onto the island, which led park staff to begin monitoring the area. Biologists found fresh coyote tracks and scat in the following days and installed trail cameras and audio recording devices. Despite months of follow-up monitoring, the coyote was never seen again or his presence captured on the recording devices.
Researchers were interested in locating the coyote because of Alcatraz’s role as a seabird nesting habitat. Staff were prepared to safely capture and relocate him within Golden Gate National Recreation Area if he could be located.
Park Service researchers say 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,” said Merkle. “But he proved himself an expert swimmer to get to Alcatraz, and I hope he made a successful swim back home to Angel Island.”
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