‘How did you get here?' A large elephant seal is found lumbering along a South African street
Members of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) watch an elephant seal cornered on a street in Gordon's Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (AP Photo)
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A large elephant seal took a wrong turn and was seen lumbering along a street in a coastal town in South Africa early Tuesday, surprising residents and inspiring a rescue effort to get him back to sea.
The two-ton seal, which an animal welfare group said was a young male, was making his way through a suburb of Gordon's Bay near Cape Town.
Locals came out of houses and recorded videos.
'This is unreal. Hi, bro, how did you get here?' one woman asked.
Police and a local security company attempted to contain the seal by parking patrol cars around him. He rested his huge head on the hood of one car and half-climbed over another before slipping free, crossing a road and carrying on up a sidewalk.
The seal eventually stopped next to a shopping mall. Animal welfare officials worried he was too far from the ocean to find his way back and might become exhausted and dehydrated. They estimated he weighed around two tons (4,400 pounds). Elephant seals can grow to twice that size.
A team of marine wildlife specialists and a city veterinarian sedated the seal and guided him into an animal transport trailer to be returned to his natural habitat at a nearby bay.
The local Cape of Good Hope SPCA later posted a video on social media of the seal making his way down a beach and toward the ocean.
'Sea you later,' the video said.
The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Progress in evacuating Manitoba First Nation
Winnipeg Watch The final group of evacuees have been airlifted from a Manitoba First Nation community being threatened by a wildfire.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Piglet tries to cross highway
A piglet was saved by citizens and Middlesex OPP before it tried to cross Highway 401. Police are looking for the piglet's owner after finding it by Highway 401 and Colonel Talbot.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
34 Bengal cats seized in B.C. after ‘exceptionally high' ammonia levels found
The animals were seized from a property in Vernon on May 28 after a veterinarian determined the animals were in distress due to their dwelling conditions, the B.C. SPCA said in a news release Wednesday. (Handout) Animal protection officers say 34 Bengal cats were seized from a breeder in British Columbia after an investigation found 'exceptionally high levels' of ammonia in the rooms where the exotic cats were housed. The animals were seized from a property in Vernon on May 28 after a veterinarian determined the animals were in distress due to their dwelling conditions, the B.C. SPCA said in a news release Wednesday. The agency says it was alerted to the situation by a would-be cat buyer who visited the property and was alarmed by the conditions the cats were kept in. 'They contacted the animal helpline and an investigation was initiated,' B.C. SPCA spokesperson Eileen Drever said in the release. 'This is yet another situation where someone is breeding animals in conditions that do not support their physical or mental well-being.' The officers who visited the breeder reported 'an overwhelming smell of ammonia in the rooms where these cats were housed,' the spokesperson added, describing the smell as 'so intense their own noses were stinging.' A test for airborne ammonia registered the gas at the highest possible level due to poor hygiene and ventilation, according to the agency. 'These concentrations can lead to severe respiratory irritation and, in extreme cases, even ulceration of the eyes,' Drever said of the dangers of ammonia exposure. The B.C. SPCA says the cats were being kept in cramped conditions in dirty cages with overflowing litter boxes. 'Bengal cats are typically larger than domestic cats,' said Drever. 'Some of these cats spent most of their time in cages.' The seized cats were taken to the B.C. SPCA's centre in Kelowna, where manager Shannon Paille said most of the cats were 'fearful' but 'very brave' during their intake examinations. 'Only some of them were growly,' Paille said in the release. 'Bengals can be quite vocal.' Nearly all of the surrendered Bengals were underweight and some were suffering from diarrhea, the shelter manager said. 'We have already been giving the cats regular treatments for skin issues, but, because of some suspicious hair loss, they are also being tested for ringworm,' she said, adding that all of the cats will need spay or neuter surgeries. The B.C. SPCA says Bengal cats are very intelligent and energetic, and may require more stimulation and attention than other feline breeds. Bengals are a hybrid of wild Asian leopard cats and domestic breeds, and require highly specialized care. 'The B.C. SPCA opposes the breeding of wild animals with domestic animals, as well as the breeding of wild animals in captivity as exotic pets,' the agency said. 'The importation, breeding, and keeping of exotic animals – such as Asian leopard cats and Servals, which are used to create hybrid cats – should be prohibited under the provincial Controlled Alien Species Regulation of the Wildlife Act.' It is not yet known whether the seized Bengal cats will be available for adoption, according to the B.C. SPCA.
