WASHINGTON – A fur-covered intruder surprised a New Zealand woman Sunday night, after making himself at home on her couch.
The New Zealand Herald reports Annette Swoffer was shocked to find a baby fur-seal curled up in her family, just hanging out with the family pets.
She tells the Herald she thought she was hallucinating.
Katrina Knill from the New Zealand Department of Conservation tells WTOP via email:
“The seal had travelled from the nearby harbour, across a road, up a driveway, through a cat door and into the property owner’s lounge, where it made itself comfortable on the couch.”
The Herald reports Swoffer called the SPCA, which contacted the Department of Conservation.
As luck would have it, the DOC was already in the area, following up on reports of a wandering seal.
A member of the DOC removed the seal from the home, but not before the wily pup escaped from a box in the back of the DOC car, made its way to the front, accidentally turned on the radio and sat down in the front seat.
Eventually, the seal was released back into the wild, Knill says.
“Occasionally they travel inland (usually via estuaries and waterways). When on land they can become disoriented and have been found on previous occasions in unexpected places such as backyards, drains and streets,” Knill tells WTOP.
WTOP’s Meera Pal contributed to this story. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
