You never know what kind of animal might show up right outside your door. Recently, a family experienced an unusual surprise when an unexpected visitor wandered far from home and decided to take a nap on their porch. According to a Facebook post from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, a family in Wellington discovered a seal pup lounging outside their home last week, curled up for a cozy nap on their porch.
“It had been on quite a journey, climbing up the seawall stairs, crossing a road, hiking up a footpath, a driveway, and finally another set of stairs before reaching its nap spot,” the Department of Conservation wrote. “It’s not every day you come home to find a seal curled up on your front porch.”
The creature in question was a New Zealand fur seal, or kekeno. Despite their name, these animals are not true seals and are more closely related to sea lions. It’s not uncommon for young seals to appear in unusual places during this time of year. From May through September, known as “seal silly season” in New Zealand, young pups and adult males often leave their colonies to explore. Locals frequently find seals in roadways, public spaces, and sometimes even in their homes.
The Department of Conservation emphasized that this behavior is normal and that seals should generally be left to their own devices without much human intervention: “They might look skinny or sick, with weepy eyes and a cough, but this is normal – seals are very resilient animals,” they wrote on Facebook. “Seals need rest, not rescuing.”
However, they also advised that if a seal is on your property, injured, or in danger, it’s best to call the department. In the case of the sleepy porch seal, an officer arrived and relocated it to a safer location away from dogs and traffic.
This unexpected encounter serves as a reminder of the incredible journeys that wildlife often undertake and the importance of allowing these creatures to navigate their natural behaviors with minimal human interference.
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