It was a sight that prompted even seasoned wildlife watchers to do a double take: A coyote swimming in San Francisco Bay a quarter of a mile off Angel Island.

“I was surprised because it was so far from land,” said California State Parks environmental scientist Bill Miller, who saw the coyote last month while aboard a boat bound for the island.

At first he thought it was a seal or a sea lion. Then he saw the pointed ears.

The canine’s snout sliced determinedly through the water as it dog-paddled along, before eventually turning around and swimming back to Angel Island.

Staff at Angel Island State Park posted a video of the unusual encounter to Instagram, prompting concerned comments from people who assumed the coyote was in distress. Miller had the same thought at first, but the coyote appeared to be a strong swimmer, he said.

In any event, State Parks has a policy of not interfering with wildlife, he said.

This wasn’t the first time a coyote has attempted to make the mile-long trip across Raccoon Strait between Angel Island and the town of Tiburon in Marin County.

At least one of those voyages was successful. Before 2017, there is no record of coyotes ever existing on the island. Scientists are now studying about 14 coyotes that live there, all of them related, to see how they interact with the island’s once-plentiful mule deer.

The first coyote who swam across to Angel Island was alone, said Casey Dexter-Lee, a State Parks interpreter who lives on the island and has worked there for nearly 25 years. It may have been chasing prey or seeking new territory, but no one knows for sure, she said.

About a year later, a second canine appears to have made the trip, potentially enticed by the first coyote’s calls echoing across the strait, she said.

“We could hear them talking back and forth, especially at night,” she said. “So it’s possible that encouraged the second coyote to swim over.”

Another hypothesis, which is supported by genotype data, is that a lone pregnant female initially swam over and gave birth on the island, said Brett Furnas, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Either way, the coyotes found a ready food source in the fawn of mule deer, which themselves have a controversial history on the island. Their numbers were controlled by human hunting for millennia, first by the Coast Miwok people, and then by the U.S. Army, which used the island as a military base, Dexter-Lee said.

When the island became a state park in the late 1950s to early 1960s, the population exploded, leading to concerns about starvation and prompting the state to regularly cull the deer, she said. The population appeared to have stabilized in recent years, until the coyotes came.

Preliminary estimates suggest the deer population has dropped by about half — from roughly 100 to fewer than 50 — since the coyotes’ arrival, Miller said. He is working with Furnas and others at the Department of Fish and Wildlife to study how this predator-prey relationship will play out. The research effort is in its second year of what scientists hope will be five.

Researchers have set up game cameras to capture images of deer and coyotes, and they regularly collect scat from both species. From that, they can learn what the animals are eating and collect DNA that enables them to identify individuals and tease out family relationships.

They’ve learned that the coyotes are all descended from one female. The population is in its third generation and is mostly consuming rats and mice.

The Angel Island mole, a unique subspecies endemic to the island, seems to be just a small part of their diet, which came as a relief.

It’s unclear what will happen to the island’s coyotes in the future. One big question is whether there’s enough food to support what is now a sizable and growing population, Furnas said. On top of that, he said, coyotes tend to want to disperse and establish new territories. And yet the long trip across the bay, with its strong currents, is not an easy one.

Furnas pointed out that the coyote seen swimming in the bay wasn’t trying to reach the island but to get away.

“That’s consistent with dispersal,” he said. “I think some of those coyotes are now saying, ‘Hey, we want our own territory,’ and they’re trying to swim back to Marin.”

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A California woman is suing San Francisco-based Uber, alleging the company was negligent after she was left alone by a driver and later sexually assaulted.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, claims the 23-year-old woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, called an Uber around 10 p.m. back in May 2025 to get home safely from a concert. After vomiting in the vehicle, the driver allegedly forced her out in a desolate area without her phone or a way to call for help.

Jane Doe’s attorneys say the incident highlights a broader issue with Uber’s policies and marketing practices, particularly toward passengers who have been drinking.

“It was a horrible thing that changed her life,” said Sarvenaz (Nazy) Fahimi, a partner at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP. “This never would have occurred had she not gotten into that Uber and the company handled the situation differently.”

According to the complaint, Doe was approached by a man and a woman who offered her a ride home. Without her phone or any other option, she reluctantly accepted. However, instead of taking her home, Doe said she was taken to an apartment where she was sexually assaulted at knifepoint. She escaped the next morning through a window while her attacker was asleep.

MORE: Uber sexual assault survivors share their stories in hopes company will change safety protocols

“This never would have occurred had she not gotten into that Uber and the company handled the situation differently,” said Nazy Fahimi of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP.

The lawsuit argues that Uber profits from and targets intoxicated passengers, citing the company’s clean-up fee policy and surge charges during late-night hours, and marketing campaigns like “Decide to Ride,” which promotes ride-sharing as a safe option for those who have been drinking.

“Uber advertises safety, especially for passengers who have been drinking,” said attorney Regina Wang. “Yet it appears drivers are not required to ensure passengers reach their final destination.”

Uber responded to the lawsuit in a statement to ABC7 News:

“What this individual experienced is heartbreaking, and our thoughts are with them. While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we are committed to the safety and well-being of everyone who uses the Uber platform.”

MORE: South Bay pushes to require rideshare companies to report sexual assaults

Uber’s most recent U.S. Safety Report shows more than 2,700 sexual assaults were reported on the platform between 2021 and 2022, a 44% decline since it first started tracking in 2017. While most cases involve drivers and passengers directly, Doe’s attorneys argue the company is still responsible for what happened.

“Uber has a duty to safely transport its passengers,” Wang said. “They should be doing more to ensure their drivers are doing that.”

The lawsuit alleges that the victim’s mother contacted Uber after the incident but was told the driver had not violated any policies. She was directed to generic sexual assault support resources.

The Sacramento Police Department confirm they are investigating the case but have not released suspect information.

Last month, Uber launched a “Women Preference” feature, allowing female drivers and passengers to opt into rides with other women.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Safe firearm storage just got more accessible in San Francisco.

Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Stephen Sherrill on Thursday announced a first-of-its-kind program that allows residents to drop off their guns at any of the city’s 10 police stations, where San Francisco police will securely store them for up to a year at no cost.

The initiative is a partnership with Pierce’s Pledge, a nonprofit founded by mother Lesley Hu, whose 9-year-old son Pierce was murdered by his father during a custody battle in 2021. After killing Pierce, Hu’s ex-husband died by suicide in their Marina apartment.

MORE: From Narcan to gun locks, new vending machines in Sonoma Co. dispense free lifesaving items

“This is a campaign about keeping your home safe, knowing what’s happening in your home and taking the firearm away if you’re in these critical moments,” Hu told ABC7 News. “Not having the gun in that moment seems to be the only thing that could have prevented, or even given Pierce a chance to have lived.”

Hu says she never imagined a life in advocacy. Now, she spends her days working to raise awareness about safe gun storage through Pierce’s Pledge.

“I am building Pierce’s legacy. He was supposed to be my legacy so now I am his,” she said.

Her nonprofit has created a nationwide map of safe firearm storage sites, many of which are gun stores. In San Francisco – where there are no gun shops – Hu says this program fills a crucial gap.

How the program works

San Franciscans can voluntarily bring firearms to any police station. It’s recommended to call ahead before drop-off, and from there participants will receive step-by-step instructions.

Officers will package and transfer the gun to a centralized facility. Owners will get a receipt to reclaim the firearm within one year.

“We’d ask that you not carry the firearm into the station, if at all possible. If you can, please make sure it’s unloaded and locked in a secure container. Or if you drive, leave it in your vehicle. We know what to do from there,” said Nicole Jones, SFPD deputy chief.

Currently, judges can order a firearm to be removed from a home if they believe someone poses a threat. This new program allows people to bypass the courts and remove a gun from their house voluntarily and free of charge. Leaders said it’s designed for families involved in volatile situations like custody disputes, divorce, or even if a family member is having suicidal thoughts.

MORE: Oakland leaders host Ceasefire teach-ins to show how violence prevention is working

“This gives families a safe and a practical option when circumstances change, and it is no longer safe to keep a gun at home,” Sherrill said at a Monday press conference.

Lurie said it’s a “simple idea with a powerful goal.”

“Every week, a child is killed by a parent or stepparent during divorce or custody disputes. Every week,” Lurie said. “That reality is unacceptable, especially when we can work to prevent it.”

Hu said she still feels Pierce’s presence every single day nearly five years after his death. Now, she hopes to turn her grief into power by educating others about the need for safe firearm storage.

“It can happen to anybody, and there’s no second chances either. You don’t get to go back and say, ‘oh, I’ll be more prepared next time.’ No, you have to be prepared this time. Now is the time to get prepared,” she said. “I’m not going to stop until this moment of custody is safe for kids.”