A lone New Zealand fur seal spotted sunbathing in a Napier waterway on Saturday attracted plenty of attention from the general public and animal services.
Hawke's Bay Bird and Wildlife founder Liv Flynn was taking in a shag from the SPCA when she received a call about the seal, located on Prebensen Drive near Park Island.
"It appeared he was just sunbathing, but because it was near a highway and a dog park we had concerns about people causing him distress. We kept everyone back and at a good distance. They all just stood back and took photographs."
While Ms Flynn had experience and certification to deal with birds and wildlife, she said she wasn't equipped to handle seals and called Department of Conservation to assess the situation while she kept the public at a safe distance.
"With seals you have to be very careful. We were trying to warn people that if he felt threatened he would either go back into the water or charge at them."