This week, residents of Gordon’s Bay, South Africa, found someone shocking lumbering down their suburban street. The visitor was hard to miss — his enormous frame quite literally stopped traffic.
Onlookers quickly contacted the Cape of Good Hope SPCA and told them the news. There was an elephant seal in their neighborhood, and he needed help.
Southern elephant seals are the largest seals on Earth and one of the largest mammals. According to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, an adult male elephant seal, like the one found in Gordon’s Bay, can weigh up to 8,800 pounds. These fantastically formidable animals are also known for their thick blubber and the lack of pattern on their coats.
Most southern elephant seals live in the Southern Ocean, off of Antarctica. It’s odd to spot an elephant seal in South Africa and even stranger to see one in suburbia.
“While sightings in South Africa are rare, occasional lone individuals, typically young males, do haul out along our coastline during moulting or rest phases,” Cape of Good Hope SPCA wrote in a press release about the event. “But making it inland and into a [neighborhood] is, by all accounts, highly unusual.”
Rescuers knew they’d need to act fast in order to get the seal back home.
“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,” Cape of Good Hope SPCA wrote.
Over the course of nine hours, rescue teams across multiple agencies worked together to move the seal. They secured the area and redirected traffic. Wildlife experts sedated the seal and then carefully moved him into a large animal trailer. They drove him to Koggel Bay and prepared for his release.
Back where he belonged, the grateful seal squirmed out of the trailer and into the sandy expanse. Far from the crowds and flashing lights, the massive animal could finally relax. He headed for the ocean and submerged himself in the sweet, familiar serenity of the waves.