A curious baby seal made an unexpected entrance into a house in New Zealand, startling the family cat and enjoying some time in the hallway.
The Ross family received a surprising visitor on Wednesday morning. Interestingly, Phill Ross, a marine biologist at the University of Waikato, is part of this family that resides near the beach.
Phill lives with his wife Jenn and their two children, Noah and Ari, just 164 yards from the beach where seals are a common sight, especially at this time of year. The seal entered the house through the cat flap, possibly from the front or garage door. That’s quite an intelligent seal.
Jenn described the incident: “I came through the garage and it’s like oh there’s some buckets out of place,” she said. “Oh maybe it’s the cat and then I came on through to go into the house and I bumped into something as I went to open the next door and I hear this flippity flop along the hallway.”
Recognizing the sound immediately, Jenn knew it was a seal. According to Phill, the visitor was a 10-month-old New Zealand fur seal.
The family’s cat did not welcome the seal. Phill speculated that their cat, Coco, known for her territorial nature, might have provoked the seal to follow her into the house. To support his theory, Coco ended up hiding at a neighbor’s house, too scared to return home. Even when she finally did, Coco avoided the stairs where the seal had been. This incident clearly left Coco quite shaken.
Jenn informed the family about their new guest, whom they named Oscar. The seal remained in the house for nearly 90 minutes before Jenn managed to guide it outside, where a ranger from the Department of Conservation eventually captured it.
Around this time of year, baby seals often find themselves in unusual places as they begin to wean and explore independently, sometimes making poor decisions like typical teenagers. Storms typically drive seals ashore to rest and recover, and many seals were resting on the beach after the last storm. This particular seal, in good condition, wandered across the sand dunes.
The New Zealand fur seal population is growing and starting to reclaim much of its former habitat. While seals are undeniably cute, they can be dangerous if they feel threatened, moving quickly and potentially causing serious harm. They can also carry infectious diseases. The Department of Conservation advises people to keep a distance of at least 20 meters from seals, avoid making loud noises near them, and keep children and pets away.
A horrific case of animal cruelty and domestic violence unfolded last year in Fargo, North Dakota. The details are disturbing and tragic. The abuser was sentenced to prison, but we must ensure he never terrorizes another person or animal again.
Fortunately, the entire Ross family, except perhaps for Coco, emerged from the ordeal unscathed.