Residents and motorists in the small coastal Australian town of Dromana, Victoria faced an unexpected, whimsical disruption to their Friday commute when a well-known local seal decided that the warm sunbaked pavement was the perfect spot for a midday nap.
The sleepy marine mammal, affectionately known to many local residents as Sammy, was found stretched out across the town’s road, completely unbothered by the sounds and presence of passing vehicles and onlookers. Responding quickly to the unusual public safety incident, local law enforcement officers cordoned off the area around the napping pinniped with traffic cones, diverting vehicles away from the stretch of road to avoid any accidental harm to the animal.
Laura Ellen, a Dromana local who was one of the first people to spot the slumbering seal, shared her amusement with AFP. “You never can guess where he will pop up next,” she said of the local celebrity animal, adding that Sammy is known for spending most of his days resting. “It made me laugh when I saw him on the road. I’ve never seen him do that before.”
After several hours of unhurried rest, wildlife rescue teams stepped in to safely guide Sammy back to his natural habitat on the nearby Dromana beach. Once the seal had returned to the shore, the closed lane was reopened to traffic, and normal commuter flow resumed.
Victoria’s state government has long noted that seals are a regular, protected native species along the state’s southern coastline. Local regulations make it illegal for people to touch or feed wild seals, a rule put in place to protect both the animals and humans that share the coastal environment.