On May 27, a young male elephant seal weighing approximately two tons found itself lost in the coastal town of Gordon’s Bay in South Africa, attracting curious onlookers and photographers. Eventually, animal welfare advocates safely returned it to the sea.
According to the report from the Associated Press, that morning, the elephant seal strutted through the residential area of Gordon’s Bay with locals coming out of their homes to capture the moment on their phones. A woman exclaimed in amazement, “It’s unbelievable! Hey, buddy, how did you end up here?”
Authorities and security personnel from a private company rushed to the scene, attempting to contain the seal’s movements with police cars. However, the large seal leaned its massive head on the hood of a car for a moment before crawling onto the road, slowly moving along the sidewalk, and finally coming to a stop next to a shopping center.
Animal welfare officers were concerned that the seal, being far from the ocean, might struggle to find its way back and could soon face exhaustion and dehydration. They estimated its weight to be around 2 tons, noting that this type of elephant seal can grow to double its current size.
A team of marine wildlife experts and veterinarians sedated the seal and guided it onto an animal transport trailer, then returned it to its natural habitat in a nearby bay.
National Geographic pointed out that there are two types of elephant seals, northern and southern. Northern elephant seals can be found in California, preferring to inhabit islands near the mainland rather than the North American continent. Southern elephant seals reside in the cold waters of Antarctica and sub-Antarctic regions, rich in fish, squid, and other marine foods they enjoy. They breed on land but spend winters in the frigid waters near the Antarctic ice floes.
Southern elephant seals are the largest of all seals, with males growing over 20 feet (6 meters) in length and weighing up to 8,800 pounds (3,992 kilograms).