Cape Town – A Southern elephant seal that unexpectedly wandered through the streets of Gordon’s Bay early on Tuesday morning has been safely returned to the ocean.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA confirmed that the sub-adult male was successfully sedated and relocated after a well-coordinated rescue operation involving multiple wildlife and emergency services, IOL reported.
Locals were shocked to see the massive marine mammal around 6am, with videos showing the tired animal moving slowly and even leaning on a parked car.
Elephant Seal Surprise in Gordon’s Bay
SPCA Inspectors are currently on site in Sir Lowry’s Pass Road, where a rather unexpected visitor — an Elephant Seal — has found its way into a residential area.
They’re actively working on a safe and stress-free plan to relocate this… pic.twitter.com/pCYgPzY4Yq
— alexlansdowne (@alexlansdowne) May 27, 2025
By 8am, Cape of Good Hope SPCA officials arrived to manage the situation, working on a safe and stress-free plan to relocate the seal back to its natural habitat.
SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham urged the public to avoid the area to help keep the animal calm.
“This is a rather unexpected visitor,” she said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
