Authorities rescued a young gray seal from the streets of Connecticut near Yale University on Tuesday after police received a nearly unbelievable call from witnesses.
“I’m sure they thought it was a joke, but it was not,” said New Haven Police Officer Christian Bruckhart. “It was a seal in the street.”
When police arrived at the scene, they immediately blocked off the area while they waited for the DEEP and Mystic Aquarium to arrive, WTNH-TV reported.
“It definitely was concerning for us when we saw he was amidst all that hustle and bustle of the city,” said Mystic Aquarium animal rescue technician Francesca Battaglia.
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Originally, Battaglia planned to relocate the seal to a nearby beach, but the pup seemed to be pretty adamant about his love for city life. Nothing could keep that little guy away from the New Haven streets.
“Unfortunately, the next day, he showed back up in the middle of the city,” Battaglia said.
At that point, she decided to bring the seal to the animal rescue clinic at Mystic Aquarium, where they plan to feed and nurture him up to an ideal weight. Right now, he’s considered underweight for his age.
While Battaglia joked that the pup was probably just visiting for some clam pizza, she explained that the relocation was likely instinctual for him, especially given the threat of other, much larger seals.
“He’s probably just lost and figured that these are my instincts, but unfortunately, with the area being so developed, it’s not actually a safe place for him,” she said.
Eventually, once he’s reached his ideal weight, the staff plans to release him to a safer location. This could take months, but for now, it’s just good that he’s off the streets.
“We want him to be able to hunt on his own and catch what he needs to support himself,” Battaglia said.
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