Family discovers an unexpected animal napping on their porch: a seal pup

You never know what kind of animal you might find right outside your doorstep. Recently, one family got quite a surprise after a very unexpected animal 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 outside their home last week, curling up for a cozy nap on their porch:

“It had been on a bit of a mission, 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 is a New Zealand fur seal, or kekeno. Despite the name, they are not true seals, and are more closely related to the sea lion.

It’s not uncommon for young seals to pop up like this during this time of year: May through September is known as “seal silly season” in New Zealand, when young pups and adult males leave their colonies.

These seals like to explore the wider world during this period, and locals often find seals in the roadways, public spaces and even their homes.

But the Department of Conservation stresses that this is normal and that the seals should to go about their business without much 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 said that if a seal is on your property, injured or in danger, it’s best to call the department. In the case of this sleepy porch seal, an officer arrived and relocated it to a safer location away from dogs and traffic.

Related Posts

I Brought My Baby To Meet Grandpa Until One Look At Her Face Brought Him To Tears

After bringing her newborn daughter home from the NICU, Emily learns a long-buried secret about her child’s father, Caleb, whose family had previously harassed and controlled Emily’s…

The Ripple of Kindness..

After losing his wife during the birth of their premature “rainbow baby,” a grieving father was comforted in the hospital hallway by an older nurse who urged…

Sweet Revenge..

After returning from a work trip to find another woman’s underwear in her bed, a wife chose mind games over an immediate confrontation by washing and wearing…

Doctors reveal that regularly eating beetroot can lead to… See more

Regularly eating beetroot can provide several subtle health benefits that build over time. Its natural nitrates may improve blood flow, support healthy blood pressure, and enhance oxygen…

The Teacher Who Saw My Potential..

In 10th grade, my physics teacher constantly embarrassed me whenever I got an answer wrong, until one day I snapped and told him he was terrible at…

The House She Gave Back to Me..

Fifteen years after I caught my husband cheating with my sister, I had cut them both out of my life. When my sister died giving birth to…