A big seal that spent Boxing Day roaming around a Tasmanian suburban area – and ending up on top of a neighbor’s car – will be released back into the wild.
The Australian fur seal – which has been called “Lou-seal” by local cops – was identified around 5.45 am in the suburban area of Newstead on Monday.
Neighbors panicked and instantly called the cops, who cordoned off the location surrounding the seal, which weighed about 440lbs (199.5 kgs).
It had already climbed on top of one neighbor’s vehicle before cops were able control the stubborn animal with a tranquilizer.
“We got up and there was this large seal on the roof of the car which is absolutely not exactly what you ‘d expect on Boxing Day,” eyewitness William Gregory informed ABC News.
“You type of get up and you wonder, is this really taking place, am I really seeing this or am I still dreaming? ”
Thankfully, the seal only caused small damage to the automobile it had been siting on, according to Mr Gregory.
“We’ll replace the windscreen and pop a couple of damages out, they’re simply old automobiles so it doesn’t actually matter. It’s worth it,” he told.
Rachel Alderman, a wildlife biologist, stated: “At this time of year, it’s not unusual for us to find fur seals in rather odd locations.”
“Seals are inquisitive … [it] might have been following food.”
