Coyote Swims to Alcatraz, Faces Relocation

Park officials plan to trap and relocate the animal to protect nesting seabirds on the island

Feb. 4, 2026 at 9:39pm by Ben Kaplan

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A lone coyote has made a record-setting swim from San Francisco to the 22-acre Alcatraz Island, something that hasn't happened since the National Park Service took over the island in 1972. However, park officials say they plan to capture and relocate the animal, believed to be about a year old, as its presence could be "devastating" for the island's large nesting colonies of seabirds that are expected to arrive within days for the breeding season.

Why it matters

Alcatraz is a major seabird rookery, home to some of the Bay Area's largest nesting colonies of Brandt's cormorants and western gulls. The arrival of a new predator like the coyote could pose a significant threat to these breeding grounds during the critical nesting season.

The details

The coyote was captured in a photograph on Saturday, and park rangers have noted tracks, scat (which has been sent out for DNA analysis), and the picked-over remains of at least one bird on the island. Park officials say a single new predator in a dense nesting area could be "devastating" for the birds' breeding grounds. Additionally, the coyote would face challenges in the long-term, including a lack of fresh water sources on the island.

  • The coyote was captured in a photograph on Saturday, February 4, 2026.
  • The seabird nesting season on Alcatraz runs from February to September.

The players

National Park Service

The federal agency that manages Alcatraz Island and other national parks, monuments, and historic sites.

Floyd

The nickname given to the coyote, named after Bonnie and Clyde getaway driver Floyd Hamilton, who tried to escape Alcatraz by swimming but turned back.

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What’s next

The plan, if the coyote doesn't leave on its own within about a week, is to "humanely trap and remove" it, then move it to a better habitat somewhere outside San Francisco.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the delicate balance that park officials must maintain between protecting wildlife and preserving the ecological integrity of sensitive habitats like Alcatraz Island, which is a crucial nesting ground for seabirds in the San Francisco Bay Area.