Wellington, New Zealand
AP
—
A seal came into the bar. To use the technical term, I was in a panic.
The creature was clearly lost, curious and well below New Zealand’s legal drinking age. He stayed under the dishwasher and showed no interest in calling a taxi.
It was a lazy, humid Sunday evening when a baby fur seal waddled into Sprig + Fern The Meadows, a craft beer bar in Richmond, on the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Accustomed to seeing animals at the pet-friendly bar, co-owner Vera Evans thought the visitor was a dog before taking a closer look.
“Everyone was in shock,” Evans said. “Oh my god. What should I do? What’s going on?”
The occupant grabbed the seal by its sweater and tried to take the seal out the back door. Escaping its pursuers, the creature ran into the bathroom and hid under the dishwasher, which was quickly unplugged.
Another customer brought a dog box from home, and Evans hatched a plan to lure the unruly customer out of his hiding spot using the pizza toppings the pub was offering on special.
“I just went to my fiancée and I said, ‘Catch some salmon! Catch some salmon!’
Then we waited a bit for the conservation rangers to arrive. It turns out they were already tracking a wandering seal.
“This was the fourth call of the day,” Evans said. “They were driving around this new subdivision trying to find this baby seal.”
New Zealand’s Department of Conservation acknowledged it had received “numerous” reports from the public about seal sightings in Richmond before the fugitive turned up at a pub on Sunday. Department of Conservation spokeswoman Helen Ottley said staff at the bar “did an excellent job keeping the seal safe” until rangers arrived.
Mr Otley said the seal was released on nearby Rabbit Island, which was considered a safe area because there were no dogs. She added that it is not unusual for curious young seals to appear in unexpected places at this time of year, as they follow rivers and streams up to 15 kilometers (9 miles) inland.
“They may show up in unusual places like this pub, but this is normal exploratory behavior,” Otley said.
Thanks to successful conservation programs in New Zealand, seal and sea lion populations have increased and they are now in closer contact with humans than ever before. Scientists call it the once-a-year “silly season” for both species. That’s for several months, when they appear regularly in strange places, such as homes, golf courses, and busy roads.
Mr Evans, who has only been running the pub with his partner for a few months, said the baby fur seal was the first illegal patron he had had to evict. But the animal, named Fern by staff, was welcomed, she said.
“There’s a running joke that we’re putting our stamp of approval on it,” she says.
Salmon will remain on the menu.
