On January 11, a wild coyote accomplished a decidedly unusual and record-breaking feat: it swam for almost two kilometers in San Francisco Bay until it reached Alcatraz Island, famous throughout the world for the former federal prison. The sighting, initially reported by a tourist, immediately attracted the attention of National Park Service biologists and rangers, who confirmed it was the first coyote documented on the island since 1972.
The animal, nicknamed Floyd, was captured in a short video emerging from the water visibly tired and cold. Images that quickly made the rounds in the media, with his feat becoming a case of international interest.
A difficult habitat
Alcatraz, today a protected natural area and a very popular tourist destination, is not an ideal place for a land predator. The island is small, has no fresh water, and is home to significant colonies of nesting seabirds, including Brandt’s Cormorants and Western Gulls. Precisely for this reason, from the first days, biologists began to monitor the behavior of the coyote, trying to understand how it managed to feed and hydrate itself.
According to experts, Floyd could survive temporarily by hunting birds and drinking rainwater collected in puddles or gardens. However, remains of prey and organic traces analyzed through DNA tests have already been found, a sign that its presence has not gone unnoticed by the local ecosystem.
The rangers’ decision: capture him and relocate him
As the bird breeding season approaches, the presence of an opportunistic predator in such a concentrated area has become a wildlife management problem. Even a single coyote, the rangers explain, could compromise thousands of nests. For this reason, a clear decision was made: if Floyd does not leave the island spontaneously, he will be captured and moved to a more suitable habitat.
The intervention, the authorities assure, will take place without causing damage to the animal, with the support of biologists and tools such as camera traps. The goal is not to punish the exception, but to protect a fragile balance, while ensuring a more secure future for the coyote. Whatever his final destination will be, hoping that it is the best for his survival, what is certain is that Floyd has already left a mark in the history of the island.
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