Information and stories about San Francisco coyotes: behavior & personality, coexistence & outreach, by Janet Kessler: Unveiling first-hand just how savvy, social, sentient and singular coyotes really are!
This video is not mine; rather I want to give a shout out to Aidan and Dan in Alcatraz City Tours, AND Jonathan Lemon who shared it with me. This video was taken about January 11th, and there haven’t been any sightings since. My fear is that this daring and intrepid coyote will (has) probably not survived.
We don’t know how long he might have been swimming in those frigid waters — it’s not something he, nor we humans, are equipped to do for very long. The distance is a little over a mile as the crow flies, but this doesn’t account for the frigidity of the water, nor the strong current that the Bay is known for. The water conducts heat away from our bodies and drains life-sustaining heat out of us if we aren’t able to bring up our body temperature quickly. So you see this coyote shivering and barely able to walk when he gets to the shore.
To live, and even more so, to turn back, he has to hydrate himself, nourish himself, and warm himself up. But there is no running water available on Alcatraz, unless the big storage tanks where imported water is kept, leak. BUT, water can also be obtained from seasonal rains and there has been plenty of heavy rain recently. Birds drink rain directly as it falls, or from puddles that collect in the rocks. Jonathan let me know that there are puddles now that are six inches deep. Fish and marine mammals such as seals and sea lions also may provide food-based hydration, but catching one is a long shot for a coyote, and a coyote, whose energy, warmth, hydration is completely depleted, might not have the energy for finding this stuff.
The Island is full of rats, mice, banana slugs and birds, so if, if, if, he/she survived the first few nights, he/she has a good chance of surviving.
We don’t yet know the outcome of this migration, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this one, after all that effort, will be sighted soon. Please let me know if you hear any updates!
As Jonathan suggested to me, maybe it’s time to expand my map! We indeed already have a family living on Angel Island!
Coyote completes his trip! We’ll have to wait and see if he recovers from the effort required to make the crossing, and then if he’s able to reap the resources that exist there: rain water, rodents, birds, and banana slugs!
Unbelievable!! Wow!! Incredible feat for this amazing being. I’m thrilled for her/ him—I hope she makes it over the long haul. Kudos to her!! Kudos to all coyotes for their bravery, heart, adventurous nature, and generally their all around loveliness. Such great contributions to the planet.
!! Yes, that’s probably when he needed the most help. Surviving that first night, all wet and cold. If he made it past that critical time, he might survive. I’m waiting for input from anyone who might spot him. Keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks, Todd!
On Saturday, January 24, the coyote was spotted walking around the parade ground on Alcatraz, so it survived the swim and managed to climb up the rocky hill to the parade ground. Now the question will be should it stay and become part of the island’s ecosystem, or be removed to another location because of all the visitors who come there.
Hi Steve — Thanks, Steve for the update! Could you please send a photo to verify? There is no need to remove the coyote — he/she made a HUGE journey and survived: We should honor that. The NPS needs to let him/her stay, but make it a strict rule that feeding is not allowed. The coyote is not dangerous to humans, but visitors need to keep their distance and allow the coyote to be a coyote and *never feed*. Feeding won’t make him/her aggressive or dangerous, but it will cause the coyote to hang around rather than the wild animals he/she is. You would need to enforce the no feeding. Every day I watch coyotes in close proximity to humans: that’s what happens in a city: both people and coyotes are fine with it IF they know the protocol. Pets are a problem, but no one will be bringing their dogs to Alcatraz (I hope!). So it’s only the feeding that needs to be prevented, and their space that needs to be respected. I’ve watched humans around coyotes, first-hand, almost every day and I understand it well. If your folks would like to chat with me, I’ll be glad to. Again, thank you, Steve, for the good news, but please could you send a photo or video?? Janet
About My Site and Me: This website reflects my almost 20 years of intense, careful, and dedicated field-work — empirical observations — all photo-documented without interfering or changing coyotes’ behaviors. Be welcome here, enjoy, and learn! I am a self-taught naturalist and independent coyote researcher.
Coyotes reappeared in San Francisco in 2002 after many years of absence, and people are still in the dark about them. This site is to help bring light to their behavior and offer simple guidelines for easy coexistence.
My information comes from my own first-hand observations of our very own coyotes here in San Francisco. What I’m presenting to you is the reality of their everyday individual lives. They have not been studied or observed so thoroughly by anyone else. Mine is not generic information, nor second-hand.
Note that none of the coyotes I document and photograph is “anonymous” to me: I know (or knew) each one of them, and can tell you about their personalities, histories, and their family situations. There have been over 100 of them, distributed among over twenty families, all in San Francisco. Images and true stories have the power to raise awareness and change perspective.
Jan 14, 2026 @ 22:21:57
Wonderful! Hope the guy makes it and the sun warms it up. And I hope somebody puts out a watering trough. Now he/she needs a mate.
Jan 14, 2026 @ 22:41:11
Actually, I learned that huge rain puddles, some 6″ deep, can be found on the island. Unfortunately, the island is not big enough to support a family.
Jan 14, 2026 @ 22:29:31
Unbelievable!! Wow!! Incredible feat for this amazing being. I’m thrilled for her/ him—I hope she makes it over the long haul. Kudos to her!! Kudos to all coyotes for their bravery, heart, adventurous nature, and generally their all around loveliness. Such great contributions to the planet.
Jan 14, 2026 @ 22:41:43
Yes! And Yay!! Thanks, Melinda!
Jan 14, 2026 @ 23:14:38
That is very impressive. I would have run over with a towel.
Jan 14, 2026 @ 23:23:16
!! Yes, that’s probably when he needed the most help. Surviving that first night, all wet and cold. If he made it past that critical time, he might survive. I’m waiting for input from anyone who might spot him. Keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks, Todd!
Jan 26, 2026 @ 05:18:49
On Saturday, January 24, the coyote was spotted walking around the parade ground on Alcatraz, so it survived the swim and managed to climb up the rocky hill to the parade ground. Now the question will be should it stay and become part of the island’s ecosystem, or be removed to another location because of all the visitors who come there.
Jan 26, 2026 @ 06:53:41
Hi Steve — Thanks, Steve for the update! Could you please send a photo to verify? There is no need to remove the coyote — he/she made a HUGE journey and survived: We should honor that. The NPS needs to let him/her stay, but make it a strict rule that feeding is not allowed. The coyote is not dangerous to humans, but visitors need to keep their distance and allow the coyote to be a coyote and *never feed*. Feeding won’t make him/her aggressive or dangerous, but it will cause the coyote to hang around rather than the wild animals he/she is. You would need to enforce the no feeding. Every day I watch coyotes in close proximity to humans: that’s what happens in a city: both people and coyotes are fine with it IF they know the protocol. Pets are a problem, but no one will be bringing their dogs to Alcatraz (I hope!). So it’s only the feeding that needs to be prevented, and their space that needs to be respected. I’ve watched humans around coyotes, first-hand, almost every day and I understand it well. If your folks would like to chat with me, I’ll be glad to. Again, thank you, Steve, for the good news, but please could you send a photo or video?? Janet