This sort of thing is a huge problem here in New Zealand. The only native mammal here is a bat, we have mostly birds which evolved for a really long time with only avian predators. So they’re hilariously poorly adapted for surviving standard predators (cats, rats, dogs etc) which first the Maori and subsequently Europeans brought. For example, many of them are flightless and tend to freeze when threatened - works well against eagles but is a terrible idea when threatened by a cat.
As a result, we have many animals, mostly birds, which are totally unique and also critically endangered. Many of them can only survive on offshore islands which have been comprehensively cleared of predators at vast effort and expense. The islands need to be relatively accessible since humans have to get to them to maintain them, but it turns out that once in a while a predator will swim quite vast distances for no apparent reason, and it only takes one to mess up years of painstaking work. Quite apart from killing a bunch of birds whose total remaining numbers might range from the tens to the hundreds of individuals.
Nit: If predators periodically make their way to the islands without human assistance, don't the islands have native predators, by virtue of how we've woven ourselves into the definitions?
Alcatraz isn't really that far from land, about a mile away. They have events where you can swim to and from it. The currents make it dangerous, but the distance is unremarkable.
I love the visual of humans desperately trying to preserve what they consider the natural world, and when they turn their backs evolution does it's thing.
Direct ecological management is unfortunately a bit of a game of using a bucket to fix a leaky ship. The equilibrium that established the ecosystem dynamics in the first place is disrupted. A new equilibrium might form over time, but we enforce the old one because that is what we documented when we first came to a place, even though it is no longer thermodynamically favorable.
Ironically, the ecology of an island itself came from events like a random animal swimming to it over the historical record and finding sufficient spare resources or an ecological niche they could satisfy sufficiently to reproduce. Distance from mainland and species diversity is very strongly correlated reflecting increasingly scarce odds of these "heroic journeys" at greater distances. Species themselves are capable of exhausting an islands resources and putting themselves into local extinction even with no human intervention (such as the case of the last of the mammoths on wrangel island).
I would be surprised if the Coyote would be quick to get back into the water after such a difficult swim. It would, I suspect, want to recover and find food. So I support the theory the Coyote is just hiding somewhere. The island is small but not that small that it couldn’t hide somewhere.
When they explained why it hadn't been found, the quote was "I suspect the coyote was swept away...", but then later in the article it seemed clear the 'swept away' was in reference to the SF->Alcatraz journey, given the prevailing currents reported by the boat captain.
But then later in the article they re-stated the idea that it had been swept away _off_ the island, which doesn't really make sense given the currents.
If you time things right, and don't get swept out to sea, it's the 54 degree water that is the real danger. I'm no medical person, but it sure seems like that the animal is suffering from hypothermia and fatigue. I'm sure it'll have happy hunting once it recovers.
That’s insane. He’s the David Goggins of coyotes. Also, that water is cold as hell this time of year. I couldn’t do that. Give him a metal and enter him in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon (I assume he can ride a bicycle?)
I love swimming in the Bay. It's exhilarating to get into the cold water, especially when you get into a rhythm. And you feel great afterwards. Just make sure you've got a plan to warm up after wards (read up on "after drop")!
Almost anyone who is swimming for more than 15-20 minutes will be wearing a neoprene wetsuit and cap to keep warm (maybe a fur coat counts). The water temperature is 54F right now, and mid 60s in the Summer/Fall. There's a real risk of going into hypothermia at these temperatures.
The first time I tried it, the shock of the cold winter water made me swim faster in panic, which quickly winded me, and I was glad to get out of there! I had to learn to slow my breath and ease into my swim stroke.
I also found the open water disorienting. It's hard to swim in a straight line when the tide is pulling you, or the wind is pushing you, or the sun is in your eyes.
But if you want to give it try, there is a protected cove at Aquatic Park [0] with a dedicated swim lane and a great community. An informal group meets in the bleachers every day around 1-2pm (sunniest time of day), with everyone taking turns to watch your stuff.
There are also two (private) clubs that organize events (like the Alcatraz swim): the Dolphin Club (1] and the South End Rowing Club [2]. The clubs are nice because they have lockers and a sauna to help you warm up after.
It's not always fun (maybe it's type 2 fun?). A lot of the time it's frustrating. Like, why do my goggles keep filling with water? or why can't I get into a flow today? Or why do I keep having this intrusive thought that I can't see what's under me? (There have been a few seal bitings). Or sometimes it feels like I'm barely moving and I don't know why I'm dragging so much. Did the current/tide/wind change? If I don't sleep well, I feel it immediately in the water. It's a good gauge of your health/mood on that day. I got a lot out of it.
I didn't think anti-bot stuff could get more annoying but to sit there and hold a button for like 20 seconds straight with nothing else on the screen to look at is incredibly boring and annoying and I gave up and left the page 3/4 of the way through it.
Only dumbass mfs who let their pets off leash (I live in Pac Heights, you're supposed to have a leash on your dog at Lafayette Park and yet every day I see morons letting their dogs off leash OUTSIDE THE DAMN DOG PARK AREA. FUCK OFF!!!!) or let their small children go without supervision where they're not supposed to are at risk.
The worst part is that the authorities will put down the coyote (for being a coyote) and I hate reading stories about coyote culling.
Life would be so much better if morons were fined and eventually displaced into oblivion for making dumbass decisions that could have been easily avoided if they were not so negligent.
But yeah its nice to live in a city with cool nature like that. We have parrots, raccoons (there's a little family of them living near my home), coyotes, owls, hawks. Love it!
I recently spent a few days photographing wildlife just north of SFO. Your coyotes are so small and adorable compared to the coywolves we have here in the Northeast. I was actually focusing on bobcats, but I got some great shots of coyotes too. https://imgur.com/a/V8yarK4
The Chili Peppers long ago settled the ethics of coyote culling, but your attitude is cavalier and thoughtless.
For those of us living in suburbs, young children running just a few steps ahead (e.g. from the house to the other end of the driveway) can be in significant danger from coyotes.
Your hyperbole and cursing are not a great match for this forum and you should reconsider them or leave.
The article speculates that this coyote might attempt to establish a pack on Alcatraz, by calling until a mate makes the same 1.5 mile swim in treacherous cold water.
I wish everyone the best of luck here, but I can't shake the image of the lonely guy unwittingly calling young females in proestrus to their likely deaths. An appropriately gender-swapped Coyote Siren of Alcatraz.
Maybe female coyotes are smart enough to understand SF Bay tides and currents, or just to ignore the crazy loud guy. I sure hope so.
It seems too good to be true, honestly. The idea that this is how nature works, that it is indeed so metal, and it is actually just we, puny humans, who find the swim so treacherous in the pursuit of lust and eventually love. I’d swim to Alcatraz for pussy, if it was the only pussy for hundreds of kilometers around. I suppose.
Alcatraz being the last place on Earth I would expect to see such savage beauty is of no consequence to the fact that it is we, humans, who make Alcatraz so treacherous. Mother Nature sees it as an opportunity to breed hella puppies.
lemming|1 month ago
As a result, we have many animals, mostly birds, which are totally unique and also critically endangered. Many of them can only survive on offshore islands which have been comprehensively cleared of predators at vast effort and expense. The islands need to be relatively accessible since humans have to get to them to maintain them, but it turns out that once in a while a predator will swim quite vast distances for no apparent reason, and it only takes one to mess up years of painstaking work. Quite apart from killing a bunch of birds whose total remaining numbers might range from the tens to the hundreds of individuals.
tomcam|1 month ago
clhodapp|1 month ago
dexwiz|1 month ago
richk449|1 month ago
asdff|1 month ago
Ironically, the ecology of an island itself came from events like a random animal swimming to it over the historical record and finding sufficient spare resources or an ecological niche they could satisfy sufficiently to reproduce. Distance from mainland and species diversity is very strongly correlated reflecting increasingly scarce odds of these "heroic journeys" at greater distances. Species themselves are capable of exhausting an islands resources and putting themselves into local extinction even with no human intervention (such as the case of the last of the mammoths on wrangel island).
CGMthrowaway|1 month ago
I remember visiting Angel Island (a 0.5mi swim) and seeing the abundance of raccoons they have, and asked a ranger how they got there. They also swam.
Growing up on a lake I would regularly watch deer swim the quarter mile back and forth between the shore and a nearby island, with no problem.
bryancoxwell|1 month ago
pengaru|1 month ago
https://angelisland.org/history/ayala-cove/
etempleton|1 month ago
rconti|1 month ago
When they explained why it hadn't been found, the quote was "I suspect the coyote was swept away...", but then later in the article it seemed clear the 'swept away' was in reference to the SF->Alcatraz journey, given the prevailing currents reported by the boat captain.
But then later in the article they re-stated the idea that it had been swept away _off_ the island, which doesn't really make sense given the currents.
jonathanoliver|1 month ago
foundart|1 month ago
mikewarot|1 month ago
holtkam2|1 month ago
nathanallen|1 month ago
Almost anyone who is swimming for more than 15-20 minutes will be wearing a neoprene wetsuit and cap to keep warm (maybe a fur coat counts). The water temperature is 54F right now, and mid 60s in the Summer/Fall. There's a real risk of going into hypothermia at these temperatures.
The first time I tried it, the shock of the cold winter water made me swim faster in panic, which quickly winded me, and I was glad to get out of there! I had to learn to slow my breath and ease into my swim stroke.
I also found the open water disorienting. It's hard to swim in a straight line when the tide is pulling you, or the wind is pushing you, or the sun is in your eyes.
But if you want to give it try, there is a protected cove at Aquatic Park [0] with a dedicated swim lane and a great community. An informal group meets in the bleachers every day around 1-2pm (sunniest time of day), with everyone taking turns to watch your stuff.
There are also two (private) clubs that organize events (like the Alcatraz swim): the Dolphin Club (1] and the South End Rowing Club [2]. The clubs are nice because they have lockers and a sauna to help you warm up after.
It's not always fun (maybe it's type 2 fun?). A lot of the time it's frustrating. Like, why do my goggles keep filling with water? or why can't I get into a flow today? Or why do I keep having this intrusive thought that I can't see what's under me? (There have been a few seal bitings). Or sometimes it feels like I'm barely moving and I don't know why I'm dragging so much. Did the current/tide/wind change? If I don't sleep well, I feel it immediately in the water. It's a good gauge of your health/mood on that day. I got a lot out of it.
[0] https://www.nps.gov/safr/learn/historyculture/aquatic-park-p...
[1] https://serc.com/swimming
[2] https://dolphinclub.org/swimming/
deafpolygon|1 month ago
AngryData|1 month ago
goopypoop|1 month ago
bitwize|1 month ago
DonHopkins|1 month ago
pseudony|1 month ago
Impressive though.
gethly|1 month ago
randombits0|1 month ago
moomoo11|1 month ago
I really like the coyotes here.
Only dumbass mfs who let their pets off leash (I live in Pac Heights, you're supposed to have a leash on your dog at Lafayette Park and yet every day I see morons letting their dogs off leash OUTSIDE THE DAMN DOG PARK AREA. FUCK OFF!!!!) or let their small children go without supervision where they're not supposed to are at risk.
The worst part is that the authorities will put down the coyote (for being a coyote) and I hate reading stories about coyote culling.
Life would be so much better if morons were fined and eventually displaced into oblivion for making dumbass decisions that could have been easily avoided if they were not so negligent.
But yeah its nice to live in a city with cool nature like that. We have parrots, raccoons (there's a little family of them living near my home), coyotes, owls, hawks. Love it!
technothrasher|1 month ago
csar|1 month ago
For those of us living in suburbs, young children running just a few steps ahead (e.g. from the house to the other end of the driveway) can be in significant danger from coyotes.
Your hyperbole and cursing are not a great match for this forum and you should reconsider them or leave.
quesera|1 month ago
I wish everyone the best of luck here, but I can't shake the image of the lonely guy unwittingly calling young females in proestrus to their likely deaths. An appropriately gender-swapped Coyote Siren of Alcatraz.
Maybe female coyotes are smart enough to understand SF Bay tides and currents, or just to ignore the crazy loud guy. I sure hope so.
MomsAVoxell|1 month ago
Alcatraz being the last place on Earth I would expect to see such savage beauty is of no consequence to the fact that it is we, humans, who make Alcatraz so treacherous. Mother Nature sees it as an opportunity to breed hella puppies.
jollyllama|1 month ago