Family finds an adorable unexpected animal sleeping on their porch: a seal pup
You never know what creature might show up on your doorstep. Just recently, a family had a delightful surprise when an unexpected visitor decided to have a nap on their porch. As shared in a Facebook post by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, a seal pup was found snuggled up for a nap on a Wellington family's porch last week.
Facebook/Department of Conservation
“It had been on a bit of a mission, climbing up the seawall stairs, crossing a road, hiking up a footpath, a driveway, and finally another set of stairs, before reaching its nap spot,” the Department of Conservation wrote.
“It’s not every day you come home to find a seal curled up on your front porch.”
The creature is a New Zealand fur seal, or kekeno. Despite the name, they are not true seals, and are more closely related to the sea lion.
It’s not uncommon for young seals to pop up like this during this time of year: May through September is known as “seal silly season” in New Zealand, when young pups and adult males leave their colonies.
These seals like to explore the wider world during this period, and locals often find seals in the roadways, public spaces and even their homes.
But the Department of Conservation stresses that this is normal and that the seals should to go about their business without much intervention: “They might look skinny or sick, with weepy eyes and a cough, but this is normal – seals are very resilient animals,” they wrote on Facebook. “Seals need rest, not rescuing.”
However they also said that if a seal is on your property, injured or in danger, it’s best to call the department. In the case of this sleepy porch seal, an officer arrived and relocated it to a safer location away from dogs and traffic.
Facebook/Department of Conservation
Such an incredibly cute seal! Imagine stumbling upon that right outside your front door! If you're an animal lover, please do share this heartwarming tale!
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