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

The Window She Left Open for Hope..

When I was a child, my mom had a habit that always puzzled me—she slept with the window wide open, even in the coldest winters. I used…

The Day I Stopped Paying for My Family’s Love..

Savannah spent years believing that supporting her family financially was the same as being loved. She paid her parents’ rent, covered medical bills, financed vacations, and even…

The Secret My Son Left Behind After His Wife Abandoned Him..

My son was only thirty-three when the illness that had haunted him for months became impossible to deny. What began as unexplained exhaustion and constant doctor visits…

MY MOTHER TRIED TO STEAL MY BABY’S FUTURE—BUT SHE FORGOT WHO SHE RAISED

My baby shower was meant to celebrate my son Noah, who was born with a serious heart condition. Friends and family raised nearly forty-seven thousand dollars to…

I Thought I Was Fired Alone—Then I Learned My Boss Quit Too..

I was fired on a Tuesday without warning after giving six years to the company. The next day, an email from my former boss was sent to…

I Couldn’t Save My Twin Sister—Years Later, One Mother Helped Me Heal..

When I was nine years old, my twin sister drowned after I lost hold of her hand while we were swimming. I carried the guilt in silence…