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 daughter-in-law texted: ‘We’ve decided to leave her behind, don’t call and disturb my family,’ then left my 8-year-old granddaughter alone at the airport to board a first-class flight with my son and their two sons. I didn’t cry, I just silently took my granddaughter home, called the lawyer, and a year later, they were the ones who lost everything.”

When I saw my 8-year-old granddaughter sitting alone in that airport, her pink backpack between her legs and her eyes full of unshed tears, I knew something…

The Barefoot Boy Who Changed a Billionaire’s Life: The Truth Behind the Dance That Moved Everyone

When Rebecca stood up from the floor, her legs trembled. Not from fear — from shock. Recognition. The boy’s words replayed in her mind like an echo…

My son coldly told me to go home in the middle of my grandson’s birthday

I thought long and hard before responding to my son. The words had been forming in my mind since that moment at the birthday party, when I…

I Saw A Struggle At The Checkout Line And Chose To Help, Never Realizing That One Small Act Of Kindness Would Bring My Own Life Full Circle

The grocery store was packed in that specific Tuesday-evening way—carts bumping heels, scanners beeping nonstop, the sharp smell of floor cleaner mixing with exhaustion. Everyone just wanted…

A Surprising Garden Discovery That Sparked Everyone’s Curiosity

During a recent visit to a friend’s home, a small detail in the garden unexpectedly became the highlight of the afternoon. Tucked neatly between two flowerbeds were…

A Simple Bank Request Led to an Unexpected Lesson for Everyone Present

The marble lobby of First National Bank grew quiet when a ninety-year-old woman named Margaret stepped to the counter and softly asked to check her account balance….