A seal made its way through Papakura streets on 30 June, until police and DoC rangers caught up with it in Coles Crescent. Photo: Supplied photos/ Preity Nabi
Police and Department of Conservation staff have been wrangling a seal that has gone up the garden path - and across the street, causing a disturbance by loitering in an Auckland suburb.
The driveway and garden of a property were cordoned off after the wayward seal stopped in for a rest after making its way through the suburb of Papakura.
Around 5.30pm the seal's big day out came to an end.
Department of Conservation staff and Auckland Zoo bundled him into a truck and drove him away to be checked over by a veterinarian.
Senior Sergeant Andrew Parkinson said the seal was first spotted in a KFC car park on Great South Road and got plenty of attention as it made its way down the road on Friday morning.
Police and DoC rangers responded to calls about the seal in Papakura, and it was cordoned off in a garden in Coles Crescent. Photo: RNZ
Officers were keeping an eye on the animal, which had come up from a nearby coastal inlet.
"He looks at you, but - he is a big animal," Parkinson said.
"So from my perspective I'm just keeping in mind that he is from the wild and ... although he does look cute and cuddly, I don't know if I'd get too close to him."
Resident Preity Nabi said she saw the seal knocking its head on her neighbour's door, trying to get in.
Department of Conservation staff and the Auckland Zoo were making plans to sedate the animal for relocation back to its own habitat.
It was not uncommon to see seals at Pāhurehure Inlet, Nabi said. And another neighbour said a few years ago a seal had also wandered about on some of the same streets.
A Twitter account set up during an earlier visit to Papakura seal visit has also sprung back into life, dropping a tweet: "Kia ora koutou e te whānau - good to be back!"
A seal made it's way through Papakura streets on 30 June, until police and DoC rangers caught up with it in Coles Crescent. Photo: Supplied/ Preity Nabi
Photo: Supplied/ Preity Nabi
