Traffic on Long Beach Boulevard, a busy highway Long Beach Islandwas interrupted by an «unexpected guest.» A baby seal was rescued after taking a nap on one of the main arteries of the island of Ocean County, on the central coast of New JerseyUSA.
As reported California Postthe incident occurred on Tuesday, February 24, when a person who was driving his car He spotted the animal and notified the local police.
«That’s something I’ve never seen before,» he said, surprised. Robert Burnafordchief of the Harvey Cedars Police Department, in dialogue with the aforementioned media.
Officer Burnaford reported that the officers together with the Department of Public Works team «they moved carefully» to the seal «to a safer place, away from traffic.
«I had walked all the way up Long Beach Boulevard from the beach and crossed three lanes. It’s a long road«, he added. Seals move on land by «galloping», with a movement similar to that of a caterpillar, crawling on their belly.
The authorities then alerted the Marine Mammal Rescue Center (MMSC) Marine Mammal Stranding Center), which moved the animal to its care center in Brigantine.
The health status of the baby seal and its care
MMSC staff explained that this was a female seal between six and eight weekswhich fortunately had no injuries, but «was in a very thin body condition in general», since it weighed less than 15 kilograms.
«She is underweight (she should weigh approximately between 15 and 18 kilos), which is the main reason why she has been admitted to our hospital. If all goes well, he will be with us for about eight weeks. and then it will be released back into the wild,» the MMSC detailed, according to California Post.
The seal remains under the care of the MMSC, which fed the animal while it remains in a reserved condition. «Grey seal pups, in particular, are known for their tendency to wander off the beaten path and get lost looking for a way back to the ocean«he explained in the center in a Facebook post.
«It is likely that this calf did not learn to eat very well on its own after being weaned by its mother. Gray seals only nurse for about two weeks. and, once weaned, they are completely independent,» he added.
Meanwhile, Officer Burnaford was grateful that no passer-by harmed the seal with their vehicle. «Drivers should pay attention because you never know what you’re going to find on the road,» he said.
