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

My Sister Gave Birth, So I Went To The Hospital. But As I Walked Down

I became a force of reckoning. I retreated to the sanctuary of my car, my heart pounding, my mind racing with a clarity I hadn’t felt in…

“Seven Years After She ‘Died,’ Her Text Changed My Life Forever”

Seven years after the crash that was supposed to have taken Adira’s life, I was lying in bed when my phone lit up with a message from…

After My Husband Died, My Stepson Kicked Me Out With Nothing—Then A Woman Following Me Revealed The Truth

Widow Forced From Her Home Finds Hope Through an Unexpected Act of Kindness.After the death of her husband Thomas at the age of 67, a widow believed…

My Best Friend Devoted Years to Caring for My Sister with Down Syndrome – Then He Spoke a Few Words That Changed Everything I Believed

Best Friend’s Secret Marriage to Woman With Down Syndrome Hid a Promise That Changed Everything. A woman was left heartbroken when her lifelong best friend, Ben, proposed…

They Treated Me Like A Servant At My Sister’s Wedding—Until The Groom’s Father Spoke

The Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel was hyperventilating with wealth. The air hung thick and oppressive with the scent of five thousand imported Ecuadorian white roses—each…

He Set the Table for Two… for 20 Years After She Was Gone

The newspapers were the first sign something was wrong. They had started piling up days ago—neatly at first, then sliding off the porch and curling in the…