New Zealand Family Gets A Surprise Visit From A Baby Seal
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Jenn Ross noticed that some buckets in her garage were knocked over when she returned from the gym on the morning of August 22, 2022. Believing it may be the result of the family cat, Coco, chasing after a bird, she did not give it much thought. However, she soon discovered the true culprit lounging in her hallway — an adorable young New Zealand fur seal!
The marine mammal spent some time exploring the spare room before settling down on the couch. Jenn finally managed to lead it out the front door and into the garden about an hour and a half later. Shortly after, a ranger from the Department of Conservation retrieved the seal and returned it to the ocean.

The Ross family home in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, is about 500 feet (150 meters) from the sea. This made it easy for the young seal — nicknamed Oscar— to shuffle up the shore. Jenn's husband, Phil Ross, is a marine biologist at the University of Waikato. He suspects the seal followed Coco into the house through the cat flaps.
"I haven't heard of seals going through cat flaps before, but I blame our cat. Coco is fairly territorial and tends to have a go at dogs. I imagine she took a swipe at the seal, which didn't back down, and then proceeded to chase her up the side of the house and through two cat flaps, into the garage, then into the downstairs part of our house," Phil explained to FOX 9 in an email.

The couple's two children — Noah, 12, and Ari, 10 — were excited to see their new "pet." However, Coco, who had sought refuge at the neighbor's house during the seal's visit, was petrified. Upon returning home, the traumatized cat refused to go downstairs for a number of days.
The New Zealand fur seal — kekeno in Maori — is the most common seal in New Zealand. The marine mammals, hunted down for food, were on the brink of extinction in the 1800s. But their population has climbed to over 200,000 since the passage of New Zealand's 1978 Marine Mammals Protection Act.
Resources: theguardian.com, BBC.com, Foxnews.com

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134 Comments
- slaydontstay3 monthsOne time I went to the beach and I saw a seal on sore but never ever in a house but a baby is so cute!!!!!!!!!!! I want one 😍😍😍also bad kitty💀😼
- mexicome4 monthsAww that is so adorable
- legendcrafter5 monthsI'm glad the seals are still alive.
- 52634xbox5 monthsthat is so sad bad Cat I just said that but I do love cats
- swiftie136 monthsthat is the most buatiful thing exept for taylor
- freerangekid6 monthsThis is the cutest thing on earth!!!!!!
- sikojery-1679537775715 monthsI like seals too because they're cute and adorable do you agree? gemma
- alliehasautism7 monthsI love seals
- slaydontstay3 monthsMe tooooooo!!!!!!
- tucylute-1668455900467 monthsso cute!
- thegrinchishot17 monthsCute, but how did it get in her house????
- axolotllover3797 months#PrettyAdorableChunkyCuteSeal:3