Park officials say strong bay currents may have contributed to the coyote’s unprecedented journey
NEED TO KNOW
- A man filmed a coyote swimming to Alcatraz Island on Jan. 11, marking the first documented sighting of the animal on the California island that houses the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
- Park rangers searched the island but were unable to locate the animal after the coyote completed its swim
- Experts say strong currents or territorial dispersal may explain the over-mile-long swim from San Francisco to the island
A coyote was spotted swimming to Alcatraz Island on Jan. 11, marking what Golden Gate National Parks officials say is the first documented sighting of the animal at the historic San Francisco landmark that holds the historic Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary.
According to SFGate, the coyote was seen reaching the island’s rocky southern shoreline near the Agave Trail, where a visitor’s video captured the animal panting and shivering after the long swim. The coyote then disappeared from view, and park rangers were unable to locate the animal in a subsequent search.
Aidan Moore, a guest relations employee for Alcatraz City Cruises, said he was alerted to the sighting by a visitor and initially doubted the claim until he reviewed the footage. “I didn’t believe them to start with,” Moore told SFGate. He immediately radioed the sighting to Alcatraz park rangers.
Moore later spoke with the boat’s captain, who reported unusually strong currents in the bay the afternoon of Jan 11, likely caused by a recent storm runoff. Those currents were estimated to be moving at up to 9 or 10 miles per hour, conditions that could have swept the animal toward the island. “I suspect he fell into the water chasing something and was swept away,” Moore said…