The Ross family from Mount Maunganui in New Zealand were surprised to find a seal in their home 150 meters from the sea on Wednesday morning. Guardian.
Bill Rose, a marine biologist, said he regrets not being the only one home at the time.
“The great irony is that this is really the only family emergency where having a marine biologist at home would be helpful,” he said. “I really wasted my time trying to shine.”
Phil’s wife, Jen, woke up before six on Wednesday morning to go to the gym. When he returned about an hour later, there was a surprise at home.
At the sight of the people, the little seal “startled a bit and ran down the hall into the guest room,” spending some time on the couch before Jen led her through the front door into the garden.
Since the family includes a cat named Coco, it is thought that this animal was able to pass through two feline paths.
Bill believes that the seal found the cat outside shortly after Jen left the property. “The cat went to defend its territory and the seal was not intimidated like some dogs, so Coco must have entered the house and she must have followed him,” he pointed out.
Considering the fun episode, Jen woke up her two children, Noah, 12, and Arie, 10, to see “their new pet.”
A Department of Conservation ranger took the seal — which the family named Oscar — back to the ocean around 10 a.m. after a busy morning of seal-related calls, as it’s not unusual to see young seals roaming the area. At one year, the young children began to express milk on their own.
Meanwhile, Koko the cat got scared and went next door. When he returned to his own home, he refused to go downstairs because he was “obviously very traumatized”.
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