A coyote recently stunned observers by swimming to Alcatraz, braving the treacherous waters surrounding the notorious former prison island off the coast of San Francisco in plain view of a tourist recording video.

The coyote in question is thought to be the first ever to reach Alcatraz, now a tourist attraction, in that manner. While it’s uncertain why the animal doggy-paddled there, the consensus is that the creature probably came from San Francisco – about 1.25 miles away – or other islands near Alcatraz where coyotes have been spotted.

Aidan Moore of Alcatraz City Cruises published clips of the coyote video on his Facebook account on 11 January. “A coyote swim to Alcatraz from the main island!” wrote Moore, who later told the news outlet SFGate that he got the videos from a tourist who approached him while at work. “The most exciting thing to happen here in ages! That’s a mile and a quarter swim!”

The clips depict the coyote swimming all by its lonesome in the San Francisco Bay, bobbing its head as it determinedly headed toward Alcatraz. The coyote eventually emerged on to the island’s rocky shore, cutting a bedraggled figure as water dripped from the animal’s body, which seemingly shivered with the Golden Gate Bridge looming in the background, according to one of the videos.

Moore said to SFGate that he called in the sighting to rangers at Alcatraz, which is under the jurisdiction of the US national park service. But it had disappeared by the time the rangers went looking for the coyote, and the canine’s fate was unclear.

SFGate reported that a spokesperson for the Golden Gate national recreation area – which oversees Alcatraz – confirmed the authenticity of the coyote sighting. The spokesperson, however, could not elaborate on what motivated the coyote to go there.

Citing what it described as a self-taught naturalist who has been documenting local coyote behavior for two decades, San Francisco’s CBS affiliate reported on Tuesday that the animal may have been seeking out new territory amid interspecies population pressure.

“This one was probably pushed around by other territorial owners and decided that he could make this trip,” Janet Kessler told the outlet, adding that coyotes have been in and around San Francisco for generations. “So, he attempted it, and he made it.”

Both Kessler and Moore remarked on the coyote’s evidently worn state. “He didn’t look like he was in very good condition, which I’m not surprised by given the harrowing experience,” Moore told SFGate.

Kessler, meanwhile, said to CBS: “He can barely make it. He’s depleted. He is shivering. He is cold.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what happened to the coyote after it was recorded getting to Alcatraz. Nonetheless, Kessler noted to CBS that the coyote had resources on the island with which to survive, including banana slugs, mice, rats, birds and puddles of rainwater.

“They are survivalists,” Kessler said to the outlet of coyotes in general. “That’s why they continue to expand.”

The federal government shut down its maximum-security prison on Alcatraz in 1963 after nearly 30 years in operation.

Some of its most infamous prisoners included the mob boss Al Capone, bootlegger George “Machine Gun” Kelly and Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger. The frigid, rough waters surrounding Alcatraz lent to it a reputation of being virtually inescapable.

The prison was later reopened as a public museum that attracts more than 1 million visitors annually.

Sooji Nam reports on a phone booth opening a line of communication between Democrats in San Francisco and Republicans in Texas.

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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – As part of the country’s 40th federal observance of Martin Luther King Junior Day, the leader of the civil rights movement was honored with several community events in San Francisco on Monday, but the focus of participants was on the perceived state of the country decades after the civil rights movement of the ’60s began.

A 1.5 mile march commemorating MLK Jr.’s march in Selma started at the Caltrain station on Fourth Street and ended at Yerba Buena Gardens, attracting hundreds from all walks of life.

Many attendees used the moment to protest recent events.

Christin Feuerstrauter, who marched with her husband, said this was a way for her to join others saddened by the events in Minneapolis. 

“We needed someplace to go to be part of a greater community to give us some hope,” she said. 

City Leaders promise to uplift Black community

At Yerba Buena Gardens, speakers including Mayor Daniel Lurie, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Amos Brown focused on themes like justice, interfaith, and unity.

Lurie spoke about supporting residents of the Fillmore with more access to housing and making sure there is equal access across all racial identities.

Tyree Leslie, who waved a Black Power Pride flag throughout the march, said it was meaningful for him as he recalled marches in Washington D.C.

“It takes me back to realizing we all should be in solidarity with everybody’s struggle,” he said.

Brown, who studied under Dr. King, gave a short benediction to conclude the program.

“There will be no squatter’s rights for hate in San Francisco,” said Brown, referencing civil rights leader and theologian Howard Thurman’s 1946 essay The Fascist Masquerade. “No squatter’s rights for injustice in San Francisco, no squatters rights for homophobia in San Francisco, No squatters right in San Francisco for any xenophobia. [00:06:49][15.0]
 

Peaceful protests from marchers

Many participants carried political signs and shared what they think MLK Jr. would say today about the recent events.

“I think he’d be proud of how far we’ve come but still disappointed of not being where we should be at,” said Derrick Moon.

“He probably wouldn’t be as pleased as he would like to be,” said Leslie.

Many said they believed he’d be courageously and peacefully standing with the marginalized.

“Thinking back of what other people have done for our country, the courage they showed us and feeling like we need to do the same in this moment,” said Feuerstrauter.

Throughout the event, a choir from Glide Memorial Church sang the anthem song rooted in gospel protest, We Shall Overcome.

The event concluded with live music and the promise from city leaders to uplift the Black community with more access to housing and resources.