Recently in New Haven, a coastal city in Connecticut, a small seal was spotted wandering the streets, leaving locals puzzled as to how and why it ended up there.
The New Haven Police Department shared photos of the young gray seal crawling on the road alongside a parked police car on social media platform X on February 16th, introducing it as the department’s newest member.
Authorities were baffled as to how the seal managed to venture into the urban area of New Haven. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in Connecticut discovered the seal on the streets and the Mystic Aquarium promptly took it in for care and rehabilitation upon rescue.
According to reports from WTIC TV, the seal, believed to be only a few weeks old, was found dehydrated and underweight, weighing a mere 28 pounds (12.7 kilograms). Veterinarians at the aquarium are monitoring its health closely, providing proper nutrition to aid in its recovery and growth with the ultimate goal of releasing it back into the ocean when it is fit.
Allison Tuttle, the Director of Animals at the aquarium, expressed delight in being able to rescue and assist the lost and needy young seal, emphasizing the importance of providing rescue and rehabilitation services for marine mammals in Connecticut and aiding those in need.
Gray seals are protected under the U.S. federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. Mystic Aquarium mentioned that newborn seals typically weigh around 35 pounds (15.9 kilograms) and require feeding high-fat milk for about three weeks.
The fortunate rescue of the underweight seal highlights the unexpected encounters between marine wildlife and human-populated areas, a phenomenon not uncommon in different parts of the world.
In a previous incident reported by Dajiyuan, on a morning in November 2023, a massive southern elephant seal showed up in the yard of resident Amber Harris in Tasmania, Australia, obstructing her car and leading her to seek leave from work, which her amused boss granted upon hearing the reason.
Similarly, in January 2023, a small seal was found in a field in Lancashire, England, located 18 miles (29 kilometers) away from the coast. With the assistance of animal conservationists, the seal was successfully returned to the sea.