Latest news with #Gordy
The Citizen
2 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
From Gordon's Bay to Simon's Town: Elephant seal's travels raise questions
The appearance of a southern elephant seal at the naval base in Simon's Town – days after he was rescued wandering the streets of Gordon's Bay – has led to speculation about why the marine mammal enjoys time on land. A comment on the Cape of Good Hope SPCA Facebook page suggested elephant seals come ashore to shed their skin once a year. The comment was accompanied by a question: Is this seal not trying to stay on land to do just that? The SPCA, who assisted with the nearly nine-hour rescue operation to return the seal (who has since been dubbed 'Gordy) to the sea, responded: 'Exactly! Gordy likely came ashore to molt, which is completely natural — but his location in Gordon's Bay put him at risk from human activity. That's why we stepped in to relocate him safely, so he could continue the process undisturbed.' Watch his Simon's Town visit: As Gordy keeps his lips 'sealed', we'll never know the true reason why this magnificent marine mammal enjoys a stroll off the beach. However, judging by the love spread on social media, his land adventures will always be welcomed. In true South African fashion, memes, sharp comments (like Shudley Daniels asking on Facebook if he is now a 'navy seal') and quirky adverts have since popped into the social media stream. Fidelity ADT posted this image with the caption: 'Let's address the Elephant Seal in the room. You never know what you may encounter on Mzansi's streets but at least you know Fidelity has your back. #FidelityKeepsYouSafe' SJC Security Services joined the action and posted this photo with the caption: ' The seal saga continues… This slippery guy escaped the sea twice and stirred up suburbia like a true seal-lebrity on tour. We weren't called, but like the rest of Mzanzi — we're loving the drama If Gordy goes on a third mission… we'll be ready. Happy Friday Fam! .' Over to you, Nando's! Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
2 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Watch: Meme-worthy seal ‘Gordy' sparks buzz after Simon's Town visit
The appearance of a southern elephant seal at the naval base in Simon's Town – two days after he was rescued wandering the streets of Gordon's Bay – has led to speculation about why the marine mammal enjoys time on land. A comment on the Cape of Good Hope SPCA Facebook page suggests that elephant seals come ashore to shed their skin annually. A question accompanied the comment: Is this seal not trying to stay on land to do just that? The SPCA, which assisted with the nearly nine-hour rescue operation to return the seal (who has since been dubbed 'Gordy') to the sea on Tuesday, responded: 'Exactly! Gordy likely came ashore to moult, which is completely natural – but his location in Gordon's Bay put him at risk from human activity. That's why we stepped in to relocate him safely, so he could continue the process undisturbed.' Watch his Simon's Town visit: As Gordy keeps his lips 'sealed', we'll never know the true reason why this magnificent marine mammal was so determined to have a stroll. However, judging by the love spread on social media, his land adventures will always be welcomed. In true South African fashion, memes, clever comments (like Shudley Daniels asking on Facebook if he is now a 'navy seal') and quirky adverts have since popped up across social media. Fidelity ADT posted this image with the caption: 'Let's address the Elephant Seal in the room. You never know what you may encounter on Mzansi's streets, but at least you know Fidelity has your back. #FidelityKeepsYouSafe' SJC Security Services joined the action and posted this photo with the caption: ' The seal saga continues… This slippery guy escaped the sea twice and stirred up suburbia like a true seal-lebrity on tour. We weren't called, but like the rest of Mzanzi — we're loving the drama If Gordy goes on a third mission… we'll be ready. Happy Friday Fam! .' Over to you, Nando's! Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Straits Times
3 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Oh, Gordy: 2,000kg elephant seal takes a wrong turn, ends up in South African suburb
A 2,000kg elephant seal that ended up in a Cape Town suburb resting his head on the hood of a police car. PHOTO: CAPE OF GOOD HOPE SPCA Signed, sealed and delivered. After nine hours of drama and cuteness overload, an elephant seal the size of a small car was herded back to the sea after lumbering across a coastal town in South Africa. The young bull was reported to have lost its way and ended up along a street in Gordon's Bay near Cape Town, startling residents there who then began owning him and calling him 'Gordy'. 'This is unreal. Hi, bro, how did you get here?' one woman asked. The seal was first spotted early in the morning on May 27, already 1km inland. The local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it was likely he swam over 1,500km to end up in Gordon's Bay. Police and a local security company tried to corral the seal by parking patrol cars around him. The 2,000kg creature 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. He stopped next to a shopping mall. He was also sighted on a small lawn outside a house. Animal welfare officials had worried he was too far from the ocean to find his way back and might become exhausted and dehydrated. 'Wild animals don't always follow the script, and this seal's unexpected journey into a residential area created real cause for concern,' Ms Belinda Abraham, an SPCA spokesman, 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,' she said. Police and animal welfare and marine wildlife specialists worked for nine hours to get a 2,000kg elephant seal back to the sea. PHOTO: CAPE OF GOOD HOPE SPCA A team of marine wildlife specialists and a city veterinarian sedated the seal and guided him into an animal transport trailer. By late afternoon, the vet gave the all-clear, and the seal was transported to Kogel Bay, where his recovery from sedation was closely monitored. As soon as he was fully awake, Gordy hopped his way back towards the sea. 'Sea you later,' the Cape of Good Hope SPCA said in a send-off video. The SPCA later reported that Gordy was again spotted on land, near a naval base in Simon's Town, and that he was in a 'safe and secure location with no immediate threats to his well-being'. 'It truly takes a village,' said Ms Abraham. 'We're incredibly grateful to everyone who stepped up today, for their professionalism, their compassion and their quick response to an animal in distress.' 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 elephant seals – usually young males – find their way to South Africa's coast. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The South African
4 days ago
- General
- The South African
Elephant Seal BACK on land – this time in Simon's Town
Cape Town's now favourite blubbery visitor has hauled out again - this time at the Naval Base in Simon's Town. Image: Facebook @CapeofGoodHopeSPCA Cape Town's now favourite blubbery visitor has hauled out again – this time at the Naval Base in Simon's Town. The SPCA has confirmed that the Southern elephant seal – unofficially named Gordy – is currently safe and secure in a location where he cannot access any roads, and there's no immediate risk to his well-being. A SPCA inspector and City of Cape Town officials are on scene, keeping a close eye on him. For now, he's simply resting, which is completely normal behaviour. The SPCA will continue to monitor him closely and are ready to step in if he shows any sign of distress or needs help. BACK STORY It's not every day that a Southern elephant seal makes an appearance in a residential neighbourhood, but that's exactly what happened in Gordon's Bay when a sub-adult male was discovered lounging alongside Sir Lowry's Pass Road, nearly one kilometre inland. The call came in at 06:20 and by 07:00, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA had arrived to assess the situation. What followed was a nearly nine-hour rescue operation involving a well-coordinated effort across multiple agencies to ensure the sub-adult male's safety and eventual return to a more suitable coastal environment. From seaside to suburbia Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are the world's largest seal species and are usually found in sub-Antarctic regions. While sightings in South Africa are rare, occasional lone individuals, typically young males, do haul out along our coastline during moulting or rest phases. But making it inland and into a neighbourhood is, by all accounts, highly unusual. 'Wild animals don't always follow the script, and this seal's unexpected journey into a residential area created real cause for concern,' said Belinda Abraham, Spokesperson for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. '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'. A safe return to the sea While the seal appeared to be unharmed, his urban detour posed risks – both to himself and to motorists. With the assistance of the Law Enforcement, Traffic Services, SAPS, Gordon's Bay Security and Gordon's Bay Medical Ambulance Services, the area was secured and traffic redirected while the SPCA, City of Cape Town's Coastal Management and Marine Unit, SANParks, Two Oceans Aquarium, Shark Spotters and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) stepped in. The SPCA monitored the seal's welfare throughout the incident, including during sedation by a wildlife veterinarian and the difficult process of loading the animal into the City's large game capture trailer. By late afternoon, the seal had been given the all clear by the veterinarian and safely transported to Koggel Bay, where his recovery from sedation was monitored before our team left the site. A community effort 'It truly takes a village says Abraham. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who stepped up today – for their professionalism, their compassion, and their quick response to an animal in distress.' Residents who encounter wildlife in urban spaces are reminded not to approach, feed, or attempt to assist the animals, but rather to contact the Cape of Good Hope SPCA for assistance. The number to dial is 0217004158/9, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What's the strangest thing you've seen in your street? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Time Out
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Keith Ramsay (Peanut)
Corn. Corn. Corn corn corn. Corncorncorncorncorn. Corn. Corn corn corn corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Corn. Coooooooooooooooooooooooorn. Crn. CORN. CORN! Corn. Corn? ¡Corn! Corn. Broadway hit Shucked is a musical about corn, and very funny it is too. In part that's simply because a story about a group of corn-loving hicks is intrinsically amusing: corn! It's a funny word in its way, especially when said as often as it's said in Shucked (which is a lot). And it's not just jokes about corn: book writer Robert Horn is an absolute ninja with a one-liner, and Shucked is near enough wall-to-wall with the things. I sort of don't want to spoil any. But I also want to prove I didn't just go along for the press buffet (chargrilled corn and cornbread) so here are a few gems: 'I was playing frisbee with a goat; he's a lot heavier than I thought'; 'your grandma died doing what she loved – making toast in the bathtub'; 'he was head over heels, which is just standing upright'; just multiply that sort of thing by around 200 and you've got a pretty good idea what the show is like. There's a moment early on in Jack O'Brian's production when it looks like Shucked might serve as an acerbic satire on America's capacity for self delusion. It's set in the town of Cob County, a corn-growing community that has apparently avoided all meaningful contact with the outside world, which sounds like a solid metaphor for American isolationism, especially when the crop fails and the townspeople react with disdainful horror when plucky youngster Maizy (Sophie McShera) suggests she go out into the outside world to look for answers. The show is narrated by the amusingly inept Storyteller 1 (Monique Ashe-Palmer) and Storyteller 2 (Stephen Webb), who have the air of two overgrown, overexcited children tasked with delivering a school assembly. There's another brilliantly satirical moment when they look at each other with panicked uncertainty during their assertion that nobody owned the land when their pilgrim forefathers showed up. But after that it's mostly just corn gags. Arguably the plot is simply 'corn puns' Shucked is as good as its one-liners, which is to say that it's very good while the one-liners are being delivered, but there's not a lot there beyond them. The plot follows a formulaic turn, not dissimilar to Calamity Jane, as plucky Maizy ventures out into civilization (well, Tampa, Florida, a concept that's probably funnier if you're American), leaving her more conservative fiance Beau (Ben Joyce) behind. Eventually she crosses paths with Matthew Seadon-Young's dodgy 'big city' podiatrist Gordy– that is to say he treats corns, not corn, but Maizy fails to understand the difference. Determining that Cob County seems to possess an abundance of a rare, valuable mineral that could make his debts go away, Gordy tells the now smitten Maizy that he can solve the town's ills. The characters are all fairly rote – despite his blank slate nature Webb's childishly overexcited Storyteller 2 is the most original creation, although Georgina Onuorah is magnificent as Maizy's monumentally sassy cousin Lulu. There's barely the pretence that Beau's brother Peanut (Keith Ramsay) is even a character: he's just a kind of savant pun dispenser, which is saying something by this show's standards. The country-style songs by Brandy Clarke and Shane McAnally are left to deepen and humanise the characters a little, though it's a mixed bag - the galloping hoedown breakdown of opener 'Corn' (yes, really) is one of several genuinely very amusing tunes, but other songs have an earnestness that feels completely out of place. I can see why Shucked would have been a breath of fresh air on Broadway, where it came from leftfield with an enigmatic advertising campaign purely based on corn puns, with no explanation of what the plot was (I mean arguably the plot is in fact 'corn puns'). But it comes to London as the opening show in Drew McOnie's first season at the Open Air Theatre with the sense it's less an eccentric piece of outsider art, but rather a big shiny Broadway hit. It maybe doesn't have the underdog charm it has in the US, and its flaws are more exposed. I'd also maybe point to the fact it's panto-like, an artform Americans are rarely exposed to but that we're inundated with every year. In general I think it could be spikier, darker and more satirical, but presumably Horn simply isn't into that.
