2-ton elephant seal takes "unexpected journey" into residential area in South Africa before safely returning to sea
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.
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
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.
According to the local Cape of Good Hope SPCA, southern elephant seals are the world's largest seal species and are commonly found in sub-Antarctic regions — not South Africa. But every once in a while, lone elephants seals -- usually young males -- make their way to South Africa's coast.
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 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.
Staff members of the Marine Unit with Shark Spotters facilitate the transportation of an elephant seal that found its way into a residential area in Gordon's Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
AP
"Wild animals don't always follow the script, and this seal's unexpected journey into a residential area created real cause for concern," Belinda Abraham, spokesperson for the local SPCA, said in a statement. "With so many moving parts — traffic, onlookers, and a massive marine mammal in distress — it took rapid coordination and clear focus to keep everyone safe."
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