A Cape fur seal was seen making its way along Jakes Gerwel Drive in Cape Town on Wednesday morning, 21 December. She made it safely across the road before being captured and transported to a safe and quiet beach.
The busy intersection came to a complete standstill while she waddled across the street. Excited onlookers took out their phones to capture photos and videos of the unexpected “jaywalker”. The closest beach to Klipfontien is 15.5 km away, so this appearance is somewhat out of the ordinary.
The City of Cape Town secured the road until the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) arrived at the scene.
The City of Good Hope SPCA, experienced and familiar with fur seal behaviour, was able to secure Santa, the seal’s new nickname. They conducted a health assessment and transported her to the nearest and safest beach.
Alderman JP Smith shared on his Facebook page that ‘various enforcement services secured the scene and awaited the arrival of the SPCA Wildlife Unit. The seal has been contained and will be kept for observations, then released back into its natural environment. The mysterious circumstances of its arrival will be investigated by the SPCA. The Cape Fur seal is only found around our local waters and is one of the strongest, most muscular seals. When provoked, it can deliver a nasty bite.’
WATCH: Seal attacks beachgoer on Cape Town beach
Cape of Good Hope SPCA said that ‘quite how a seal got to be there in the first place so far from the ocean will remain a mystery. One theory is that it had swum into a canal and was washed further away by strong currents, or that it was intended to be an unusual Christmas gift for someone’s mother-in-law and then merely dumped when its captor saw the price of fish!’
Watch Santa’s journey below:
The public is advised to keep a safe distance from wildlife at all times and to call the SPCA when incidences like this occur.
Pictures: Alderman JP Smith
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