UNDERDOG STORY

Coyote Makes Jaw-Dropping 2-Mile Swim to Alcatraz Island

Experts believe the coyote began its voyage in search of a mate or new territory.

A coyote surprised scientists everywhere by journeying two miles through the water all the way to Alcatraz Island. Initially, scientists thought the coyote made the trip from San Francisco, which would already be an impressive one-mile swim for the little animal. After DNA analysis of the coyote’s scat, they found that the canine originated from a population common on Angel Island, which is a whopping two miles from the shore of Alcatraz. “We have never, ever heard such a story of a coyote making such a long journey in a pretty challenging ocean current,” said Camilla Fox, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Project Coyote. The achievement went viral in January after videos of the coyote paddling in the water were posted on social media as it attempted to reach the island, which once housed a prison and is now a tourist attraction. Fox believes the coyote began its voyage in search of a mate or new territory. The park service had intended to relocate the coyote because his new island abode was a seabird nesting habitat, but the animal was never seen again.