Rogue seal rounded up by police in Papakura

By RNZ

Police and Department of Conservation staff have been wrangling a seal that has gone up the garden path - and across the street, causing a disturbance by loitering in an Auckland suburb.

The driveway and garden of a property were cordoned off after the wayward seal stopped in for a rest after making its way through the suburb of Papakura.

Around 5.30pm the seal’s big day out came to an end.

Department of Conservation staff and Auckland Zoo bundled him into a truck and drove him away to be checked over by a veterinarian.

A seal made its way through Papakura streets. Photo / Preity Nabi

Senior Sergeant Andrew Parkinson said the seal was first spotted in a KFC carpark on Great South Rd and got plenty of attention as it made its way down the road on Friday morning.

Officers were keeping an eye on the animal, which had come up from a nearby coastal inlet.

“He looks at you, but - he is a big animal,” Parkinson said.

“So from my perspective I’m just keeping in mind that he is from the wild and ... although he does look cute and cuddly, I don’t know if I’d get too close to him.”

Police were having trouble corralling the rogue seal in Papakura. Photo / Jonny Wimpress

Resident Preity Nabi said she saw the seal knocking its head on her neighbour’s door, trying to get in.

Department of Conservation staff and the Auckland Zoo were making plans to sedate the animal for relocation back to its own habitat.

It was not uncommon to see seals at Pāhurehure Inlet, Nabi said. And another neighbour said a few years ago a seal had also wandered about on some of the same streets.

A Twitter account set up during an earlier visit by a seal to Papakura has also sprung back into life, dropping a tweet: “Kia ora koutou e te whānau - good to be back!”