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

Hollywood Has Lost One of Its Most Legendary Faces

For decades, he was regarded as one of America’s greatest character actors, delivering unforgettable performances in films such as The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Tender Mercies and The…

Fans Remember the Star Who Kept Working Despite Everything…See more

He became a household name as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy before gaining another major following as Cal Jacobs in HBO’s Euphoria. Throughout his career, Eric…

My Sister Said My Wheelchair Would Ruin Her Wedding—So I Gave Her the Only Gift She Deserved

Living with a wheelchair since I was seventeen has taught me to ignore judgmental stares and awkward comments. When my younger sister got engaged, I was genuinely…

The Unseen Rescue

The roar of highway traffic drowned out the frantic cries of three tiny white kittens, trapped inside a tied plastic bag on the sunbaked shoulder of the…

My Groom Humiliated Me During the Cake Cutting, but My Brother’s Reaction Left the Entire Wedding Speechless

That tearful anniversary gathering marked a turning point, proving that our marriage had not merely survived the public humiliation of our wedding day, but had been fundamentally…

After humiliating me at my graduation by telling everyone I would never measure up to my sister, my parents watched me disappear for years, until they sent that same sister to track me down and she uncovered the truth that made them panic.

My mother pushed her way past Monica into the entry hall, her eyes frantic and her voice sharp with anger as my father trailed behind her, clutching…