New DNA evidence has helped National Park Service researchers solve part of the mystery surrounding a coyote that somehow made its way onto Alcatraz Island earlier this year.
The coyote’s current whereabouts remain unknown. However, after months of fieldwork and laboratory testing, park staff now believe the animal likely reached Alcatraz after swimming from Angel Island State Park, not from San Francisco as originally suspected.
The unusual sighting began on January. 24, when a visitor photographed a coyote on Alcatraz Island. The animal quickly drew attention because Alcatraz is best known as a former federal prison, but it also serves as an important nesting habitat for seabirds.
A Surprising Origin Story
“We are surprised by the coyote’s origin,” National Park Service wildlife ecologist Bill Merkle said. “Our working assumption was that the coyote made the swim from San Francisco because it is a significantly shorter distance.”
Soon after the sighting, park biologists began searching for clues. Staff surveyed the island for tracks, installed trail cameras and audio recording devices, and collected samples for testing. Coyote scat found on the island was sent to the UC Davis Mammalian and Ecology Unit of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory for DNA analysis.
The results confirmed that the coyote was male. They also matched him to the coyote population on Angel Island.
“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.”
The Search on Alcatraz
After the January sighting, biologists found fresh coyote tracks and scat in the days that followed. However, despite months of monitoring, the coyote was not seen again. Park cameras and audio recording devices did not capture any additional evidence of the animal.
Researchers were especially interested in locating the coyote because of Alcatraz’s nesting seabirds. The island supports several bird species, and the National Park Service notes that birds have become one of Alcatraz’s central natural features since the federal penitentiary closed in 1963.
Had the coyote been found, park staff were prepared to safely capture and relocate him to more suitable habitat within Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
What Happened to the Coyote?
For now, that part of the story remains unanswered. The National Park Service says 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.”
